Welsh Water warned it needs to improve
SENEDD Members have warned Welsh Water must take urgent steps to improve, with growing calls for a regulatory and governance overhaul amid concerns about a lack of accountability.
Llŷr Gruffydd, who chairs the Senedd’s climate change committee, led a debate on a report following an inquiry on the performance of Welsh Water.
Mr Gruffydd told the chamber Welsh Water has dropped to a two-star environmental rating, with its overall performance categorised as “lagging” for the second year running.
Warning of growing public anger over sewage spills, he said: “Pollution, leakages, quality and supply interruptions are just some of the issues Welsh Water is struggling with.”
Mr Gruffydd warned: “There’s a continuing public perception that Welsh Water can illegally spill sewage and get away with it scotfree.”
He emphasised the only acceptable number of pollution incidents is zero.
Lee Waters suggested goodwill towards Welsh Water, which is owned by Glas Cymru, a non-profit company, has constrained scrutiny and challenge. He told MSS the not-for-profit model should not excuse poor performance nor inefficiency.
He said: “Without the pressure and scrutiny of shareholders, there is a particular need to ensure there is robust questioning of the company’s performance.”
Mr Waters, who stood down as deputy minister for climate change last month, said Ofwat applies a one-size-fits-all approach to regulation which has not served Wales well. Mr Waters said the scandal at Thames Water shows private companies underperform and have poor governance too, “and Ofwat didn’t do its job there either”.
Adam Price questioned whether the Glas Cymru model works, saying Scotland has outperformed Wales over the past two decades.
The former Plaid Cymru leader told the chamber Wales has the powers to diverge from the England-and-wales regulatory system and scrap Ofwat.
Mr Price also urged the Welsh Government to request further devolution of full powers over water from Westminster.
Responding to the debate, Huw Irranca-davies, the newlyappointed climate change secretary, said the latest performance reports paint a mixed picture. But Mr Irranca-davies, a member of the committee during the inquiry, warned Welsh Water has a long way to go to meet the challenges of the climate and nature emergencies. The former MP said: “Improving the performance and delivering for the people of Wales is a top priority.”