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Harrogate's new Lib Dem MP blasts "insulting" water bill rise

Tuesday, 16 July 2024 08:56

Tom Gordon, MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough.

The newly elected Liberal Democrat MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough has called on Ofwat to rethink "insulting" water bill rises.

Tom Gordon MP has backed his first Parliamentary Motion since being sworn in this week, which has urged Ofwat to reconsider water bill rises.

The motion, proposed by Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesperson Sarah Olney MP, will be presented once the King has re-opened Parliament later this week.

Yorkshire Water has announced it will hike bills by 25%, despite water firms being allowed to dump raw sewage into local waterways.

During the general election, the Liberal Democrats called for Ofwat to be abolished and a new water regulator established with greater powers.

Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Harrogate and Knaresborough, Tom Gordon, said:

“In the middle of a cost of living crisis, this water bill hike is unacceptable and insulting to so many people struggling to make ends meet.

“What make it even more absurd is that it comes whilst Yorkshire Water continues to pump raw sewage into our rivers, like the Nidd, failing to even deliver what their customers – my constituents – are meant to be paying for.

“Time and again during the General Election campaign, people on their doorsteps told me that they wanted an MP who will stand up to these firms. That is why my first Parliamentary signature will be backing this bill brought forward by Sarah Olney MP.

“Yorkshire Water cannot be allowed to get away with this. They, the regulator and the government must listen.”

The Liberal Democrats are calling on Ofwat to use their existing powers to crackdown on large water bill rises.

The party is also calling on the government to implement a ban on water company executive bonuses until sewage discharges end and leaks are fixed.

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