Last week, Yorkshire Water announced a hosepipe ban that will affect over five million people across our region. Since Friday 11 July, households have been banned from watering gardens, washing cars or using hosepipes for domestic activities. There is a threat of £1,000 fines for those who do.
The company says the ban will last until winter, blaming the hot weather and dry conditions for the decision. But let’s call this what it really is: an insult to Yorkshire households who are being punished for failures that lie squarely with Yorkshire Water itself.
I will put aside the fact that it’s the company’s job to plan for these circumstances. We all know that we are living on a warming planet where extreme weather conditions are becoming a more regular occurrence. Water companies should have back-up plans in place in case there is a prolonged dry spell.
But while the company points the finger at the climate, it quietly brushes over the staggering fact that it leaked 95 billion litres of water last year. That’s right – every single day, 260 million litres of water are lost through a network of pipes that the company has failed to maintain or modernise.
Households left high and dry
In Upton, a community I represent, families have experienced repeated water shortages for months. People have gone to their taps only to find nothing coming out. It is deeply frustrating and utterly unacceptable in one of the richest countries in the world.
The ban has caused much confusion among local people because of the apparent anomalies in the official guidance that has been provided to households. For example, you are able to fill your watering can from the tap, but you can’t fill your watering can from a hose – even though the hose would almost certainly be attached to that same tap.
In addition, we hear that businesses will be allowed to pay for using excessive water. This sounds to me like we are creating a two-tier system of access to water.
Let’s be clear. Water companies have one job – to provide clean, reliable water to households. Yorkshire Water is failing in that basic duty, and families across our region are paying the price.
This isn’t just about water. It’s about a system that’s completely broken.
Rising tide of debt and bills under privatisation
When the Conservatives privatised the water system in 1989, they changed its purpose. What was once a public service designed to deliver clean water became a profit machine for shareholders. The results have been disastrous. According to We Own It, since privatisation:
- Water company debt has ballooned from virtually nothing to over £60bn
- Bills have risen by 40%
- Over £78bn has been paid out in dividends to shareholders
- And investment in infrastructure has fallen by 15%
Yorkshire Water itself is not even majority British-owned. Half of it belongs to Hong Kong-based investment firms. A third is owned by the Singapore government. The rest is controlled by Australian pension funds. Ordinary people in Yorkshire are now being told to tighten their belts while foreign investors who do not use our water themselves continue to cash in.
Even the Labour government’s recent deal to boost investment in water infrastructure doesn’t change the fundamental problem. These so-called investments will be funded by financial asset firms, with the cost passed straight on to household bills. Taxpayers will foot the bill to rebuild the system – but private companies will own the assets and take the profits. It’s a private finance rip-off all over again.
This model is not just broken – it’s a total scam.
Water is a right, and should belong to us all
We need to face the truth that water privatisation has failed. It’s time for a fresh start. Water is our most precious resource. It is vital to our health, our homes, our food, and our environment. It should not belong to profit-hungry corporations or overseas governments. It should belong to us – the people who use it.
That’s why I believe in public ownership of water. Not for ideology’s sake, but because the current system simply doesn’t work. Clean water is not a luxury. It’s a basic right. It’s time we took back control.
And I’m far from the only one who thinks this. Public ownership of water has widespread public support. Not just amongst Labour voters, but across the whole political spectrum, and among Reform UK voters too. The Labour government would certainly be rewarded by voters if it was prepared to put the public before the private water company shareholders.
It’s time for us to step up our campaign to take back control of our water. The government will only take decisive action if the public’s voice is heard even more loudly and clearly. I call on campaigners to keep on fighting for a water system that works for all the people of Yorkshire.
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