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Yesterday evening, Jeremy Hunt and I co-hosted another public meeting with Thames Water. The panel included Chris Weston, CEO of Thames Water, David Black, Chief Executive of Ofwat, and Dr Mike Keil, Chief Executive of the Consumer Council for Water (CCW).
Whilst Thames Water again apologised for their inadequate communications and compensation both during and after the incident, which they admitted haven’t been good enough, residents rightly want answers to resolve the issues they are facing and assurances that they will not suffer from water outages again.
Thames Water announced a goodwill payment of £30 to every household in Guildford affected by last November’s water supply interruption and £30 for any resident who raised a complaint with Thames Water. This goodwill gesture is in addition to Standard and Enhanced Customer Guarantee Scheme (CGS) payments, which is welcome.
It was useful to hear the company update us on the investment it is making in Guildford and our surrounding villages to ensure our water infrastructure is resilient. As a result of the previous public meeting which I organised with Jeremy in December, where the power issues were raised, Thames Water have installed a system where generators can be used as a back up should another power outage occur (indeed a power happened in March without any disruption supply for residents). I also welcome that Shalford Treatment Plant will now be staffed by more experienced staff members 24 hours a day.
It was clear from this meeting and my communications with residents that confidence in the water supply for too many has eroded and we need to see Thames Water improving its service. I will continue to hold them to account.
Ofwat CEO, David Black confirmed that Thames Water customers will not have to pick up the bill for Thames Water management failings.
I hope that those who attended yesterday's meeting found it useful to hear first-hand from Thames Water, Ofwat, and CCW to get their questions answered directly.
If you would like to ask a question following the meeting, or if you were unable to attend, please contact Thames Water. If you would like to follow anything up, please contact me via: angela.richardson.mp@parliament.uk