Water bills

That this House is deeply concerned by the news that the Competition and Markets Authority has agreed to allow water companies including Anglian, Northumbrian, Southern, Wessex, and South East Water to increase bills by an additional 3% on average, compared to the amount agreed by the regulator Ofwat; notes that this comes after the Independent Water Commission’s final report in July 2025 which echoed Liberal Democrat calls for Ofwat to be replaced with a new regulator on account of its failures to regulate water companies for their environmental pollution and financial mismanagement which has ultimately left customers paying more for poorer services; and urges the Government to come forward with a new, stronger regulator to hold water companies to account and implement a single social tariff for water bills to help eliminate water poverty.