Horsham MP John Milne raises serious concerns over Southern Water’s demand for higher bills, and calls for water regulator reform

Lib Dem MP for Horsham expresses concern over Southern Water, after they asked water regulator for permission to charge their customers even more for inadequate services.

Southern Water customers are set to see bills rise by £224 this April, an increase of 47%. Local MP John Milne says that it is not good enough, and that it is time for Ofwat to be replaced to hold water companies to account.

Southern Water are one of six firms asking the water regulator to allow them to set higher bills for their customers. It means there could be even more expensive water bills for people across Horsham.

Liberal Democrats across the country have been campaigning to protect customers from higher bills from water companies. The party has said they would like to see the creation of a new public benefit model and water regulator to hold companies accountable. Recently, Lib Dems tabled a number of amendments to the Water (Special Measures) Bill in Parliament to address this, however these were not supported by Labour or Conservative MPs.

Horsham MP John Milne said:

“It is deeply concerning that water companies are seeking to increase customer bills, while gallons of sewage continue to be poured into our British rivers and seas.

“The current regulatory framework from Ofwat has not effectively addressed water company performance issues. We must replace Ofwat to create a more robust regulatory system to protect customers.

“Many of my constituents are already struggling with the cost of living and now face with bill increases, this is not good enough. The government must knuckle down to address this.”