UK’s environment secretary has caused a backlash among groups demanding an end to the pollution of rivers by water companies after a direct appeal ahead of a demonstration backfired. The intervention by Steve Reed, who wrote to activists saying they could trust him with forging change within the water industry, was met with anger by campaigners who said he was avoiding the key issue – that water privatisation has failed. The Guardian has the story.
In his letter to members from the 130 groups taking part in the March for Clean Water on Sunday, who include Surfers Against Sewage, the GMB union, the Wildlife Trusts and the RSPB, Reed said he shared their anger about record levels of sewage pollution. He wished them a well-attended march and said he looked forward to working with them towards a shared ambition of cleaning up rivers, lakes and seas for good.
But since Labour took power, Reed has ruled out what many who will take to the streets are calling for: the return of the water industry to some kind of public ownership. In making the decision to rule out public ownership, using existing powers available to him under the special administration regime, he was accused of relying on flawed analysis paid for by water companies.
Matt Staniek, of Save Windermere, said Reed’s intervention was a weak attempt to pacify public anger:
“The government is clearly failing to enforce existing laws and continues to allow private equity to profit at the expense of bill payers and the environment. They are proposing measures that fail to address the core issue – that privatisation has failed.”
