Open petition: Separate water supply & infrastructure maintenance into separate entities

Created by Liane Jane Welch
Closes on 16 March 2027

We believe the Government should require separate entities for managing the supply of water and maintaining water pipe infrastructure. This could ensure healthy market competition and prevent current providers from using funds earmarked for maintenance being used for other things.

BT Openreach was recently fined and forced to separate into supplier (BT) and infrastructure maintainer (Openreach) for failing to maintain their cables. Gas and electric suppliers and maintenance providers are already split like this. Water should be split along the same lines so that the sole focus of the water network owner is on infrastructure repair and renewal. Unlike other utilities, water is essential for all life, not just for humans, and we believe efficient water management should be the minimum requirement for any government.

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