The struggle to get hold of medication in England is set to get worse
Access to essential medications in England is deteriorating, impacting many patients.
BBC News1 min read
MPs accuse South East Water leaders of incompetence over repeated outages
TL;DR
MPs have accused South East Water's leadership of incompetence due to repeated water outages affecting tens of thousands of customers. The company faces a £22m fine from Ofwat for failing to deliver adequate service.
Key points
- MPs accuse South East Water of incompetence over outages
- Company serves 2.3 million customers in multiple counties
- Facing a £22 million fine from Ofwat
- Culture of unaccountability criticized by MPs
- Major outage affected Tunbridge Wells residents for two weeks
Mentioned in this story
South East WaterOfwatTunbridge Wells
MPs have accused the leadership of South East Water of incompetence over repeated water outages for tens of thousands of customers, and expressed no confidence in their ability to reform the company.
MPs from across the political spectrum said David Hinton, SEW’s chief executive, and the board of directors operated a culture of unaccountability at the company, which provides drinking water for 2.3 million customers in Berkshire, Hampshire, Kent, Surrey and Sussex.
SEW describes its leadership in official communications as having a “family feel”, but the environment, food and rural affairs committee of MPs said they were better described as “an unaccountable clique”.
The company, which faces a £22m fine from the industry’s regulator, Ofwat, over serious disruptions to the water supply over many years, comprehensively failed to deliver for the consumers it served, the MPs said.
The damning report comes after the committee mounted an investigation following a major water outage in November and December last year which left tens of thousands of people in Tunbridge Wells, including elderly and vulnerable people in care homes, without water for two weeks. There was a further disruption to supplies in January this year.
Alistair Carmichael, chair of the committee, said MPs had taken the unusual but necessary step of declaring no confidence in Hinton and the board to highlight the gravity of what was an extraordinarily poor situation.
“This is an exceptional failure of management and of corporate governance,” he said. “The refusal of anyone in the company to be accountable for this failure cannot, in our view, be overlooked.”
Carmichael, a Liberal Democrat, added: “One cannot overstate the dangers of so many communities losing water supply for extended periods, including schools, GP surgeries and care homes … someone in this company needs to take a grip, be accountable for its failings and to put them right.”
The report said the company shareholders, Utilities Trust of Australia, NatWest Group Pension Fund, Desjardins Group and associated holding companies, had a duty to act to hold the company to account, adding they shared some of the blame for its performance.
SEW was “devoid of proper leadership”, with cultural problems that raised serious concerns over whether Hinton and other executives could bring the water firm back into compliance with its licence, MPs said.
Q&A
What specific accusations did MPs make against South East Water's leadership?
MPs accused South East Water's leadership of incompetence and operating a culture of unaccountability, leading to repeated water outages.
How many customers does South East Water serve?
South East Water provides drinking water for 2.3 million customers across Berkshire, Hampshire, Kent, Surrey, and Sussex.
What is the financial penalty South East Water is facing from Ofwat?
South East Water is facing a £22 million fine from the industry regulator Ofwat due to serious disruptions in water supply.
What caused the major water outage in Tunbridge Wells last year?
The major water outage in Tunbridge Wells was caused by the addition of wrong chemicals, which left tens of thousands without water for two weeks.
