Motion by Councillor Sally Povolotsky
This council notes that:
● Thames Water (TW) has been releasing untreated
sewage into Oxfordshire rivers and chalk streams for 20+ years.
● TW’s sewerage service is beyond inadequate. With
illnesses on the rise, bringing serious risk of death, administrative change is
needed, these failures are a public health issue.
● TW is not sustainable without direct intervention
and renationalisation by government.
● TW’s request to increase consumer bills at 44% over
the next 5 years is extortion and a clear show of poor business management
after decades of collecting payments and connection fees and neglecting to use
them to maintain and improve the network.
● TW’s Water Resource Management Plan (WRMP) isn’t fit
for purpose and needs urgent scrutiny by this government and the regulator.
This council resolves that:
● This chamber, its members and residents have no
confidence in Thames Water’s competence as a sewerage undertaker or maintainer
of infrastructure for the current and growing population of this county.
● Requests the Leader writes to the Secretary of State
(DEFRA), urging His Majesty's Government to urgently place full regulatory and
administrative limits on Thames Water, suspending bonuses, bringing charges for
polluting the eco system and urgently evaluate the pros and cons of the
renationalisation of Thames Water. We call for an urgent public inquiry into
the WRMP 2024.
● This council reaffirms its objection to the design
for SESRO (South East Strategic Reservoir Option)
given the ambiguity of the costs, environmental and human impacts to this
county.
Decision:
The motion was carried with 29 votes in favour; none against and 13 abstentions.
Minutes:
The motion was proposed by Councillor Sally Povolotsky and
seconded by Councillor Nick Field-Johnson.
Following debate, the motion was carried with 29 votes in favour; none against and 13 abstentions.
RESOLVED:
This council notes that:
● Thames Water (TW) has been releasing untreated
sewage into Oxfordshire rivers and chalk streams for 20+ years.
● TW’s sewerage service is beyond inadequate. With
illnesses on the rise, bringing serious risk of death, administrative change is
needed, these failures are a public health issue.
● TW is not sustainable without direct intervention
and renationalisation by government.
● TW’s request to increase consumer bills at 44%
over the next 5 years is extortion and a clear show of poor business management
after decades of collecting payments and connection fees and neglecting to use
them to maintain and improve the network.
● TW’s Water Resource Management Plan (WRMP) isn’t
fit for purpose and needs urgent scrutiny by this government and the regulator.
This council resolves that:
● This chamber, its members and residents have no
confidence in Thames Water’s competence as a sewerage undertaker or maintainer
of infrastructure for the current and growing population of this county.
● Requests the Leader writes to the Secretary of
State (DEFRA), urging His Majesty's Government to urgently place full
regulatory and administrative limits on Thames Water, suspending bonuses,
bringing charges for polluting the eco system and urgently evaluate the pros
and cons of the renationalisation of Thames Water. We call for an urgent public
inquiry into the WRMP 2024.
● This council reaffirms its objection to the
design for SESRO (South East Strategic Reservoir
Option) given the ambiguity of the costs, environmental and human impacts to
this county.