A county MP in Oxfordshire has refused to support placing Thames Water into special administration as scrutiny intensifies over the future of Britain’s biggest water company.
Labour member Anneliese Dodds, who has represented Oxford East since 2017, remains the only Oxfordshire MP to have declined signing a letter calling for Thames Water to be placed into special administration without delay.
The letter, put together by campaigning group We Own It, was sent to Ofwat and Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds MP.
Sophie Conquest, the organization’s head campaigner, explained that Thames Water’s operations are causing children to miss school, regular road flooding, and Oxfordshire’s rivers turning into open sewers.
The water company supplying 16 million people across London and the Thames Valley carries more than £17bn in debt and was fined a record £122.7m last year, largely for breaching wastewater rules.
According to reports, Thames Water is close to reaching a deal with regulator Ofwat that would allow it to avoid penalties for four years provided it invests in the business.
The regulator has not yet approved this arrangement and is apparently divided on the proposal.
If this does not go ahead, Thames Water could face special administration, with The Guardian reporting the company risks running out of money again in October.
Ms Conquest stated that this deal is not acceptable and that failing water companies cannot be allowed to set their own regulatory terms. She explained that taking Thames Water into special administration would enable debt reduction and secure fair treatment for customers and the environment.
We Own It urged Ms Dodds to sign the open letter without delay, which also calls for rejection of the proposed deal.
Current signatories include the six other Oxfordshire MPs, including her Labour colleague and Banbury MP Sean Woodcock, though the Labour government has signalled preference for a market-based solution.
Calls for Thames Water to be placed in special administration have grown.
Ms Dodds’ office confirmed the MP had consistently raised concerns about Thames Water, including regarding potential penalty suspensions.
She has also indicated special administration would be preferable to an agreement that fails to protect consumers.
A spokesperson for Ms Dodds’ office stated that Anneliese has repeatedly raised Thames Water issues, both directly with the company and with government ministers, including a direct meeting with minister Emma Hardy. She called for banning bonuses for poorly performing water executives and for breaking up the ineffective Ofwat, both now being put in place. She has also expressed significant concerns about proposals that Ofwat might accept an arrangement with Thames Water’s creditors deferring any company penalties until 2030. She has pressed ministers to reject this, making clear that a special administration framework would be preferable.