Lib Dems Demand Answers From Welsh Government Over Water Company Bonuses

The Welsh Liberal Democrats have called for answers from the Welsh Government today in the Senedd following reports of massive bonuses for the bosses of Dŵr Cymru/Welsh Water despite the ongoing sewage dumping scandal, an increase in water bills and maintenance issues.

During the Senedd today, Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader and Mid & West Wales Senedd Member Jane Dodds requested that Labour Ministers explain to the Senedd why this is continuing to be allowed.

The Welsh Liberal Democrats have previously called on a ban on water company bonuses until the sewage dumping scandal is fixed and for the funds to be redirected into improving infrastructure.

Including this year’s bonus, the bosses of Welsh Water (which markets itself as a non-profit) have now received over £1 million in bonuses in just three years, despite raw sewage continuing to be dumped in Welsh rivers, seas and lakes at an unprecedented rate.

Welsh Water has also come under fire in recent months for upping water prices for customers despite these large bonuses and for maintenance problems with large parts of West Wales left without running water last year.

Commenting Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader Jane Dodds said:

“We know the Conservatives have utterly failed to tackle sewage dumping, with almost all of their Welsh MPs having voted against stronger action to ban the practice. Yet the Welsh Labour Government isn’t also without power to take a stand on this issue.

“It is utterly unacceptable that while rivers in regions like my own such as the Wye, Tawe, Usk, Teifi and Severn continue to seriously decline in health the bosses of Welsh Water are using the publics money to give themselves handsome bonuses rather than reinvest the money into infrastructure improvements.

“The whole thing makes a mockery of the idea Welsh Water is a ‘non-profit’. The Welsh and UK Governments must work to ban these bonuses and mandate the infrastructure improvements we need.

“Our rivers and the wildlife in them are running out of time.”

ENDS