So all our water bills are going up for the next 100 years to pay for the scandal of water companies failing to do what they were supposed to do whilst last year alone paying their shareholders £1.4 billion in dividends. I’m absolutely confident the government won’t do anything to force these companies to work quicker or force them to reduce dividends until the job is done but I want to know why and are we being mugged off yet again.
Privatisation is what's needed I.4 billion in dividends while pumping millions of gallons of shit in our waterways is a fucking disgrace.
So all our water bills are going up for the next 100 years to pay for the scandal of water companies failing to do what they were supposed to do whilst last year alone paying their shareholders £1.4 billion in dividends. I’m absolutely confident the government won’t do anything to force these companies to work quicker or force them to reduce dividends until the job is done but I want to know why and are we being mugged off yet again.
Privatisation is what's needed I.4 billion in dividends while pumping millions of gallons of shit in our waterways is a fucking disgrace.
So all our water bills are going up for the next 100 years to pay for the scandal of water companies failing to do what they were supposed to do whilst last year alone paying their shareholders £1.4 billion in dividends. I’m absolutely confident the government won’t do anything to force these companies to work quicker or force them to reduce dividends until the job is done but I want to know why and are we being mugged off yet again.
Privatisation is what's needed I.4 billion in dividends while pumping millions of gallons of shit in our waterways is a fucking disgrace.
It's going to cost £1.75 per week. Personally I'm more than happy to pay that if it keeps our rivers clean.
In principal yes, me too. But the point is water companies are yet another of our privatised utilities that do are making record profits whilst offering worse and worse services. Water is largely unique in that there is no competition at all so even less incentive to give a good service. These costs should have been paid out of profits before dividends rather than passed on to the consumer. In fact if they invested even a small proportion of their profits each year since privatisation into the infrastructure this would never have happened. This is the result of aggressive cost cutting in the pursuit of profits and now the general public are being forced to bail them out.
It's going to cost £1.75 per week. Personally I'm more than happy to pay that if it keeps our rivers clean.
In principal yes, me too. But the point is water companies are yet another of our privatised utilities that do are making record profits whilst offering worse and worse services. Water is largely unique in that there is no competition at all so even less incentive to give a good service. These costs should have been paid out of profits before dividends rather than passed on to the consumer. In fact if they invested even a small proportion of their profits each year since privatisation into the infrastructure this would never have happened. This is the result of aggressive cost cutting in the pursuit of profits and now the general public are being forced to bail them out.
I think the public, or rather the public purse should bail them out. Relieve them of their private monopolies and take water (the primary substance on the planet) back into public ownership.
So all our water bills are going up for the next 100 years to pay for the scandal of water companies failing to do what they were supposed to do whilst last year alone paying their shareholders £1.4 billion in dividends. I’m absolutely confident the government won’t do anything to force these companies to work quicker or force them to reduce dividends until the job is done but I want to know why and are we being mugged off yet again.
Privatisation is what's needed I.4 billion in dividends while pumping millions of gallons of shit in our waterways is a fucking disgrace.
It's going to cost £1.75 per week. Personally I'm more than happy to pay that if it keeps our rivers clean.
In principal yes, me too. But the point is water companies are yet another of our privatised utilities that do are making record profits whilst offering worse and worse services. Water is largely unique in that there is no competition at all so even less incentive to give a good service. These costs should have been paid out of profits before dividends rather than passed on to the consumer. In fact if they invested even a small proportion of their profits each year since privatisation into the infrastructure this would never have happened. This is the result of aggressive cost cutting in the pursuit of profits and now the general public are being forced to bail them out.
I think the public, or rather the public purse should bail them out. Relieve them of their private monopolies and take water (the primary substance on the planet) back into public ownership.
Couldn't agree more. My point is that it shouldn't have been allowed to happen in the first place. But even with privatisation proper regulation should have prevented this.
The fact that not just one person but enough people managed to privatise something that should not be profitable, today we are talking about water but you can easily say the same for any essential utility, or care maybe, or local government.
What actually aggravates me is, just like with the train franchises there is zero meaningful consequence for the sort of thing that should bring a government down, an island nation whose waterways are more faeces than water, shorelines caked in shit yet very favourable bonuses and dividends are being weighed out. As I drive past another water leak today whilst at work and get the news that my water bill increasing is the only way the sewage problem can be resolved. And we will buy that and accept it.
It's going to cost £1.75 per week. Personally I'm more than happy to pay that if it keeps our rivers clean.
In principal yes, me too. But the point is water companies are yet another of our privatised utilities that do are making record profits whilst offering worse and worse services. Water is largely unique in that there is no competition at all so even less incentive to give a good service. These costs should have been paid out of profits before dividends rather than passed on to the consumer. In fact if they invested even a small proportion of their profits each year since privatisation into the infrastructure this would never have happened. This is the result of aggressive cost cutting in the pursuit of profits and now the general public are being forced to bail them out.
And how many other industries does this apply to? Labour are too meek (or worried about putting off swing voters) to call for re-nationalisation of water (and potentially energy, and trains)?
As a lifelong capitalist even I agree that national resources should never be privatized. Water should be state owned. Free market economy doesn't work when you have a limited resource supply. As I customer we have no choice on who we buy from regardless of their price or efficiency
It's going to cost £1.75 per week. Personally I'm more than happy to pay that if it keeps our rivers clean.
In principal yes, me too. But the point is water companies are yet another of our privatised utilities that do are making record profits whilst offering worse and worse services. Water is largely unique in that there is no competition at all so even less incentive to give a good service. These costs should have been paid out of profits before dividends rather than passed on to the consumer. In fact if they invested even a small proportion of their profits each year since privatisation into the infrastructure this would never have happened. This is the result of aggressive cost cutting in the pursuit of profits and now the general public are being forced to bail them out.
And how many other industries does this apply to? Labour are too meek (or worried about putting off swing voters) to call for re-nationalisation of water (and potentially energy, and trains)?
I certainly think Starmer is missing an opportunity here if he doesn’t condemn the latest proposals and threaten if in government to force through changes by means of severe fines and penalties on the water companies. That’s stopping short of re nationalisation but I think a tough line would accord with most of us paying water bills and feeling aggrieved by what’s happening and the proposed solution.
It's going to cost £1.75 per week. Personally I'm more than happy to pay that if it keeps our rivers clean.
In principal yes, me too. But the point is water companies are yet another of our privatised utilities that do are making record profits whilst offering worse and worse services. Water is largely unique in that there is no competition at all so even less incentive to give a good service. These costs should have been paid out of profits before dividends rather than passed on to the consumer. In fact if they invested even a small proportion of their profits each year since privatisation into the infrastructure this would never have happened. This is the result of aggressive cost cutting in the pursuit of profits and now the general public are being forced to bail them out.
And how many other industries does this apply to? Labour are too meek (or worried about putting off swing voters) to call for re-nationalisation of water (and potentially energy, and trains)?
I certainly think Starmer is missing an opportunity here if he doesn’t condemn the latest proposals and threaten if in government to force through changes by means of severe fines and penalties on the water companies. That’s stopping short of re nationalisation but I think a tough line would accord with most of us paying water bills and feeling aggrieved by what’s happening and the proposed solution.
Someone on the radio the other day mentioned making the fines so high that the operation became unviable, meaning the shares would be almost valueless. That's how you can re-nationalise cheaply, Keir. Alternatively change the law so that a certain percentage their profits had to be re-invested in infrastructure before dividends are paid to shareholders. That would also have a negative affect on the share price. Something has got to change, that's for sure.
It's going to cost £1.75 per week. Personally I'm more than happy to pay that if it keeps our rivers clean.
In principal yes, me too. But the point is water companies are yet another of our privatised utilities that do are making record profits whilst offering worse and worse services. Water is largely unique in that there is no competition at all so even less incentive to give a good service. These costs should have been paid out of profits before dividends rather than passed on to the consumer. In fact if they invested even a small proportion of their profits each year since privatisation into the infrastructure this would never have happened. This is the result of aggressive cost cutting in the pursuit of profits and now the general public are being forced to bail them out.
I think the public, or rather the public purse should bail them out. Relieve them of their private monopolies and take water (the primary substance on the planet) back into public ownership.
Couldn't agree more. My point is that it shouldn't have been allowed to happen in the first place. But even with privatisation proper regulation should have prevented this.
The other reason it shouldn't have been allowed to happen is that they sold the thing we owned in the first place back to us!
For anyone who's interested, bracketed was the rounded current rate, standing charge remains the same I believe. This is for paying by DD and UK average.
Likely to drop further still in October so don’t be rushing to fix just yet.
Got to fix ours in January, anyone know if there’s any more expected price drops between October and January, we normally fix for the maximum period, so also wondering if that wise or perhaps we should go the shorter term route (mind you might be an impossible question to answer yet).
Likely to drop further still in October so don’t be rushing to fix just yet.
Got to fix ours in January, anyone know if there’s any more expected price drops between October and January, we normally fix for the maximum period, so also wondering if that wise or perhaps we should go the shorter term route (mind you might be an impossible question to answer yet).
Being reported that another small drop in October and then perhaps a slight rise in January. October will be the time to look at fixing I would think.
Likely to drop further still in October so don’t be rushing to fix just yet.
Got to fix ours in January, anyone know if there’s any more expected price drops between October and January, we normally fix for the maximum period, so also wondering if that wise or perhaps we should go the shorter term route (mind you might be an impossible question to answer yet).
Being reported that another small drop in October and then perhaps a slight rise in January. October will be the time to look at fixing I would think.
I heard that too but I did wonder if fixing in October (my deal fixed deal runs out on31st August) might mean missing out on reductions in both April and July ? Hard to know what to do. I don’t want to fix in if there are further drops next year ?
Likely to drop further still in October so don’t be rushing to fix just yet.
Got to fix ours in January, anyone know if there’s any more expected price drops between October and January, we normally fix for the maximum period, so also wondering if that wise or perhaps we should go the shorter term route (mind you might be an impossible question to answer yet).
Being reported that another small drop in October and then perhaps a slight rise in January. October will be the time to look at fixing I would think.
I heard that too but I did wonder if fixing in October (my deal fixed deal runs out on31st August) might mean missing out on reductions in both April and July ? Hard to know what to do. I don’t want to fix in if there are further drops next year ?
Comments
I.4 billion in dividends while pumping millions of gallons of shit in our waterways is a fucking disgrace.
The French would be rioting.
Makes me wonder at what point the general public can tell them to do one, we’re not paying.
Personally I'm more than happy to pay that if it keeps our rivers clean.
I think the public, or rather the public purse should bail them out. Relieve them of their private monopolies and take water (the primary substance on the planet) back into public ownership.
Having a senior moment
What actually aggravates me is, just like with the train franchises there is zero meaningful consequence for the sort of thing that should bring a government down, an island nation whose waterways are more faeces than water, shorelines caked in shit yet very favourable bonuses and dividends are being weighed out. As I drive past another water leak today whilst at work and get the news that my water bill increasing is the only way the sewage problem can be resolved. And we will buy that and accept it.
Energy bills set to finally fall
Alternatively change the law so that a certain percentage their profits had to be re-invested in infrastructure before dividends are paid to shareholders. That would also have a negative affect on the share price.
Something has got to change, that's for sure.
Energy bills to fall under new price cap
Energy bills will fall to £2,074 a year for the typical household from July, under the new price cap announced by the regulator Ofgem.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/business-65699507
Gas
132.9 @ Tesco Gillingham... 138.9 @ Pepperhill Sainsburys
Its cheaper than Unleaded all of a sudden
Being reported that another small drop in October and then perhaps a slight rise in January. October will be the time to look at fixing I would think.