Star comment: Apologies are fine but we need action on water pollution
The news that sewers will be upgraded to cut overflows and prevent the leaks that have become all too common in our precious waterways will be welcomed.
Yet the apology from Water UK will leave a bitter taste for many. Why has it taken this long for the issue to be addressed? And while the billions of pounds of investment is clearly needed, the bill for this should not sit with us, the consumers.
Vast sums have been paid out in shareholder dividends at a time when the water services provided in the UK have been unfit for purpose. The backwards steps that we’ve taken in recent years have caused outrage. People simply do not want to be prevented from enjoying coastal areas or rivers because they are polluted by foul water.
It’s been a source of real anger for many people that water companies have failed to uphold the standards that the general public would expect, while siphoning profits away to shareholders, rather than investing.
It is galling, too, that we will be paying for the upgrades, while substantial sums have already been paid out. Politicians are also in the firing line for allowing the low standards to progress unchecked. We expect a better service and better environmental standards, where our care for the rivers and sea are a higher priority than the dividends paid to shareholders.
The apology is both necessary and welcome, as are the plans to remediate a situation that has long been unacceptable.
Apologies are all very well, however, but people will expect action. And that means cleaner water in the immediate future as well as an end to practices that are neither desirable nor acceptable to the British public.
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BT’s plans to cut jobs by the end of the 2020s will understandably prompt concern among employees. It is not as common for firms to announce such long-term plans but, in BT’s case, it is a reflection of the fact that the rollout of fibre broadband and 5G network is coming to an end.
Given the timescales, it is to be hoped the restructure is handled sensitively and sympathetically for those affected.
At a time of a cost of living crisis, those in the firing line can ill afford the changes that are imminent. Yet if BT liaises with workers who are affected, they will at least have time to find alternative work, hopefully in the telecoms industry, or else retrain.
The economy is undergoing transformative change and the security and stability that people once enjoyed is now a thing of the past. Workers may face a hard time finding a reliable job in the present market.
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