Call for Yorkshire Mayor to sit on the board of Yorkshire Water to aid scrutiny into pay, dividends and decisions
Radical action is needed to build back public confidence over river pollution, regional leaders have warned, calling for a Yorkshire mayor to be placed on Yorkshire Water's board.
Doing so would aid transparency, South Yorkshire's Oliver Coppard has told The Yorkshire Post, opening up access to executive pay, influence, dividends, decisions and scrutiny.
And as West Yorkshire's Tracy Brabin warns the system is "broken", it is a "tragedy", she says, that three of the top five dirtiest rivers in the UK are all in Yorkshire.
"The data shows us, and in fact Yorkshire Water's own recent report shows us, the system is broken," she said. "It's not working for the public.
"We have seen a 41 per cent rise in our bills to 2030 and yet we are seeing poorer outcomes. We have (sewage) discharges every week, we have 13 serious discharges a year. Nothing is getting better and we are still paying more for that service.
"The process of privatisation is broken," she added. "We are privatising the profits and socialising poorer outcomes for the public."
The two Labour mayors are among three in the region calling for greater public control of water companies, along with North Yorkshire's David Skaith.
Mr Coppard and Ms Brabin spoke out following a public meeting in Leeds this week where they were quizzed in response to Channel 4 docu-drama series Dirty Business.
Hosted by the Ilkley Clean Rivers Group, it had seen a powerhouse panel including whistleblowers, documentary directors and experts.
Among them, Prof Peter Hammond whose own investigations feature into the scale of sewage in the nation's waterways.
The new Prime Minister Andy Burnham has indicated he could consider nationalisation for some water and energy companies, sparking renewed scrutiny on performance.
Mr Coppard, when asked what model this could take for the region, said he was "not averse" to public ownership but any solution must be evidence-driven rather than ideological.
The first step, he said, was to "toughen up" on the Environment Agency to ensure robust action was taken on breaches over sewage discharges.
The second stop, he added, should be a Yorkshire mayor sitting on Yorkshire Water's board.
"It's not a silver bullet, it's not a panacea," he said. "It is a logical step. Put a mayor on the board of Yorkshire Water. All of a sudden you've got access to the pay, to influence, and dividends. A mayor on the board would give us that voice.
"I don't think the interests of the company are best served by short-term decisions – which we've seen over decades frankly – putting loads of money into shareholders' pockets, and not deliver services people want and need."
Yorkshire Water was approached for comment.