Property Reporter’s Post

#thoughtleadership - Dereliction of Duty Why should taxpayers/consumers be liable for infrastructure and capacity expansion costs of a private company? • Has every consumer received a share of annual profits? 🚩Should this materialize then it is a failure of Govt on an unprecedented scale. • Private company governance and strategic decisions are rightly .. private! I have frequently written here on this topic and the most suitable and acceptable solution. • All water companies need to be forced into providing a fully contained sewage system... with capacity headroom to cater for the next century... not some piecemeal solution that isn't fit for purpose... takes 70yrs and consumers have to pay for! ⚠️ Consumers have arguably already paid via bills! 🚩This would demonstrate "Econo.ic Illiteracy "! • As we are seeing reported... these remain viable and profitable businesses as dividends continue regardless! The #centralbanks underwrite the development costs against an aggregate 5yr timeframe. • With many replicable benefits this may be #thegiftthatkeepsgiving ! ©️JC If you haven't yet seen my posts on this topic, & are interested ... please feel free to have a read ... you may find you agree! ⚠️ There are many that ho back a long way covering many threads that may be informative & interesting. #besafe #ceos #leadership #business #strategy #riskmanagement #journalism #europeanunion #europeanparliament #personaldevelopment #UN #NATO European Leadership European Commission European Central Bank Federal Reserve Board Skynewsuk.com SkyNews Inc ITV Studios ITV The Guardian United Nations World Health Organization #travel #health #nhs #tourism #hospitality #aviation #construction Surfers Against Sewage Brain Expansion Group https://lnkd.in/dt3qHVxD

Hearing a bit of an echo in Ofwat Final Determination media coverage: City am article: ‘Water bills set to rise by a fifth as government calls for ‘complete reset’ of sector’ https://lnkd.in/eJpYG2Tb #waterindustry #money #environment #environmentalservices #water #thameswater #watermanagement

#thoughtleadership - Change or... Continuation? What a first week for Labour Party (UK) ! Hitting the road running is ... refreshing! Regrettably however, a paradox has arisen that seems simple to reverse & provide certainty. Can Govt be trusted ... or have they already lied to the UK public? • Ms Reeves stated in #leadership debates that the public would be protected from increased water bill's for expansion & capacity infrastructure costs... yet OFWAT has approved increases!🙈 🚩 Independent oversight bodies typically are funded by... those they are supposed to police! No wonder then they are viewed as being unfit for purpose! Starmer/Reeves can readily clarify the position & quieten speculation. • Will they over rule OFWAT or leave the charges? • Is there decisiveness... or economic illiteracy? • Where is the CHANGE? These are profitable viable businesses happy to pay dividends despite essentially fly tipping sewage constantly.. and then, understating the volumes being monitored or discharged🙈 The only acceptable solution IMHO... fully enclosed sewage systems globally within an aggressive 5yr timeframe! • The regulator and existing provisions have failed the country/public continuously. 🚩This facet is perhaps also potentially the most significant factor in global warming 🙈🤔 If you haven't yet seen my posts on this topic and are interested... please feel free to have a read... you may find you agree 🤔 ⚠️There are lots spanning a while that cover many threads of this complex indaba you may find informative and interesting! ©️JC #besafe #ceos #leadership #business #strategy #riskmanagement #journalism #europeanunion #europeanparliament #personaldevelopment #UN #NATO European Leadership European Commission European Central Bank United Nations Skynewsuk.com SkyNews Inc The Guardian World Health Organization ITV Studios ITV Federal Reserve Board #centralbanks #education #travel #health #nhs #tourism #hospitality #aviation #construction Surfers Against Sewage Brain Expansion Group https://lnkd.in/exVnwepe

AMP 8 final determinations are fast approaching and here is a latest snapshot as to what bill rises have been approved thus far across the respective Water organisations. https://lnkd.in/ehFDRbtq

Today is Earth Day. A day for supporting Environmental Protection. (Quite why we need a day for something so crucial is a post for another day). Coincidentally, today Thames Water have announced an intention/plan to increase consumer bill by 44%. Yep, 44%. Consider that this is a business with a total monopoly over their customer base thanks to privatisation. A complete and utter monopoly. It's also a business that should be protecting the environment. However, they have a horrid track record when it comes to this. Currently, the business is also defaulting on its debt payments. So, ask yourself a question: How can a business with a total monopoly perform so horrendously badly? And then ask yourself another question: If this can happen to a privatised company charged with providing citizens drinking water, is our current economic version of capitalism fit for purpose? https://lnkd.in/eRjbBf63

BBC: 'Water bills set to rise more than expected...a new independent commission with a high-profile chair will be announced to advise the government on a "proper reset" of the industry to improve performance and bring in new investment.' https://lnkd.in/erFgTU39 #waterindustry #money #environment #environmentalservices #water #thameswater #watermanagement

The Reforms to the Energy Performance of Buildings regime consultation runs for 12 weeks from 4 December 2024 to 26 February 2025. There is an extensive list of stakeholders (including builders and developers, property managers, insurance companies, local authorities and housing associations) from whom views are invited although it is open to anyone to respond. See thoughts on the key proposals from my colleague Matthew Stokes https://lnkd.in/etZuY6Vh

“Water regulator Ofwat is drawing up plans for a special “recovery regime” for Thames Water and other financially stressed UK water companies in a bid to avoid nationalisation. Companies with “recovery regime” status could receive fewer or no regulatory penalties to encourage them to invest in infrastructure improvements instead, people close to Ofwat and the water companies said.” Apparently the water companies need relief from some parts of the regulatory regime to help them ‘get back on their feet’ having become ‘financially stressed’ in circumstances which remain mysterious but which it seems have nothing to do with systematic underinvestment and high borrowings to pay dividends. Clearly making monopoly utility providers less accountable is exactly the direction which policy should take. Thames Water pumped 14.2bn litres of sewage into the river Thames in central London last year.

£18.2 Million Fine on Thames Water: Misaligned with Public Good The £18.2 million fine imposed on Thames Water translates to an extra £1.14 on each residential water bill. While the regulator’s intention to hold companies accountable is absolutely correct, this punitive approach drains funds from a business already grappling with financial instability. Instead of penalising Thames Water, the £18.2 million could have been invested in vital areas like infrastructure improvements, leakage prevention, water quality, and environmental safeguarding. From an Executive Team perspective, the fine acts as a blunt instrument, reducing the capital available to transform the network and genuinely benefit customers. Regulators had alternative strategies that could have delivered more tangible benefits without impacting consumers, such as: 1️⃣ Mandated Targeted Reinvestment: Directing the fine into critical infrastructure projects to address issues like outdated pipes and inefficient wastewater treatment. 2️⃣ Performance-Linked Dividend Releases: Tying future dividends to measurable performance milestones to ensure shareholder returns align with company success. 3️⃣ Enhanced Governance Practices: Implementing stricter governance reforms to prevent mismanagement and ensure the company’s strategic direction serves public interests. Rather than extracting cash from Thames Water at a time when stability and investment are crucial, focusing on governance improvements and targeted reinvestment would have been a more intuitive and beneficial approach. This would better serve the public good by fostering a resilient and efficient water supply system, ultimately providing more value to consumers without the added financial burden. https://lnkd.in/dDAtEcud #ShortLinkedInPost #PublicGood #WaterManagement #Regulation #Sustainability

Billions withdrawn, rivers and seas full of s**t, people drinking contaminated water. Most of our infrastructure is owned by overseas investors, including by governments, and profits go to pension schemes in other countries whilst the infrastructure here crumbles. At the same time, in many of those countries, the key infrastraucture is state-owned and run. Privatisation of utilities and transport infrastructure has been a disaster, not just for the individual consumer and people who work in those sectors, but also for many businesses that rely on said utilities, transport, etc. The, often huge, profits have been privatised whilst the losses are on the taxpayer. State subsidies for the rich investor, massive bills and illness for the rest of us. https://lnkd.in/eszrs7Fd