Cameron Thomas MP claims victory for Severn Trent customers, as Water Regulator Ofwat scrapped

Cameron Thomas has welcomed the news that Ofwat will be replaced by a tougher water regulator, marking a victory for Gloucestershire residents and customers of Severn Trent.

At the 2024 General Election, after which Cameron was elected to office for the first time, he had campaigned on a manifesto pledge to replace the failing water regulator, whose relationship with water companies was seen to be “too cozy”, with too little action to tackle sewage spills and pollution.

At yesterday’s announcement from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Tewkesbury MP told Secretary of State Steve Reed: “My constituent campaigners at Save Avon and Tewkesbury Friends of the Earth will be delighted to see that, at length, the Government have implemented a core Liberal Democrat manifesto pledge: the abolition of Ofwat”.

The announcement follows a report from Sir John Cunliffe’s Independent Water Commission, and a year of consistent pressure from Liberal Democrat MPs. Cameron has further called for water companies such as Severn Trent to be reigned in, with Executives’ bonuses curbed and shareholder dividends withheld whilst pollution continues in the Rivers Avon and Severn.

Cameron further challenged the government, asking: “Will the Secretary of State now go further and implement a second pledge to put (Safe Avon and Tewkesbury Friends of the Earth) campaigners on the board of Severn Trent, so that they can hold the water company to account… and continue to show my constituents that Liberal Democrat pressure pays off?”