The Guardian ·
Don’t back down on pledge to put water firms under public control, Burnham told
Key allies of PM issue warning as details emerge of his plan to give mayors powers to oversee water companies
Key allies of Andy Burnham have warned the prime minister not to back down over his promises to put water companies under public control, after details emerged about the prime minister’s plan to give mayors more oversight of the industry.
Mathew Lawrence and Mark McVitie, who helped provide an intellectual underpinning to Burnham’s project over the summer, have both warned that merely giving politicians oversight of key utilities rather than financial control will fall short of what the prime minister promised.
Their comments come after it emerged the prime minister is considering creating a set of regional bodies to hold water companies in England and Wales to greater account, including by questioning bosses on bills and sewage spills. Lawrence and McVitie warned this would not be enough to deliver Burnham’s promise of bringing “the essentials of life” under public control.
