Political government announcements are, in a deeply distressing way, a cynical combination of fudge, misdirection, bullshit and push it into the long grass statements.
The Conservatives seem to have cottoned onto the fact that water companies pumping shit into our rivers and coastal waters isn't a good news story. Actually its something that voters in the May local elections might be wound up about.
Obviously the private water companies are a great example of how capitalism delivers good value to capitalists, not to consumers. In a vivid demonstration of what the supposed competitive market delivers, the privatised monopolistic companies have largely used their excessive profits since privatisation to award their shareholders and their executives, rather than investing in assets that lead to less shit in our rivers or coastal waters.
So we come to the announcement, issued on April Fools Day, (no apperent irony on that timing), from Thérèse Coffey, Environment Secretary. Apparently she is saying that companies that pollute our waters could face unlimited penalties. And that the higher fines would be reinvested into water quality improvements.
The linked to announcement above uses the following phrases, which don't actually commit the government to any action.
- could, not will, fine them more, and there is a 6 week consultation 1st - so the only real commitment is to a consultation.
- Thérèse Coffey is expected to announce next week ...so its not a commitment of more £'s.
- There is a new Plan for Water, to be published shortly - so its not a commitment of more £'s.
- toughening up enforcement against companies who fail to deliver improvements.- but to do that you need to put in extra £'s for resources to enforce, which haven't been announced.
- the fund will help local groups ID the biggest issues and direct investment to where it is most needed - isn't that what the water companies were meant to be doing anyway?
And finally the annoucement says that:
- further detail on how the Water Restoration Fund will be managed will be set out in due course - so thats an unspecified timescale for an unseen management plan which may not have the finmes income envisaged.
- Since 2015 the Environment Agency has secured fines of over £144 million, including £90 million from a fine imposed on Southern Water in 2021 - so since 2015 they've done one big fine on one water company. Why haven't they done the same for all the other water companies pumping shit into our rivers and coastal waters?
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