Skip to main content

Ministers must hold the line on Thames Water. It got itself into a mess | Nils Pratley

It seems Thames is trying to scare the government into thinking the world will end if it falls into ‘special administration’

Make-your-mind-up time approaches for the board of Thames Water. The directors may not have liked Ofwat’s “final determination” last month – even though the regulator allowed bill increases of 35% over the next five years – but if they wish to dispute it, Thames is free to appeal to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). The deadline to do so is 18 February.

On the way, however, it seems Thames is engaging in another round of lobbying by trying to terrify the government into thinking the world will end if the company falls into the “special administration regime”, or SAR – the temporary nationalisation setup for failing or bankrupt water companies.

Continue reading...

from The Guardian https://ift.tt/21TforR

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Details of F.B.I.’s Kavanaugh Inquiry Show Its Restricted Range

By MICHAEL D. SHEAR, SHERYL GAY STOLBERG, MAGGIE HABERMAN and MICHAEL S. SCHMIDT from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/2QhwZyw

The Guardian view on Labour’s difficult year: denial of hard choices is no longer an option | Editorial

All the incentives in Westminster politics militate against confronting difficult issues, but a failing government may as well try honesty The formula for stable government, according to Britain’s constitution, is a big parliamentary majority and divided opposition. Sir Keir Starmer’s predicament proves that those conditions are not sufficient. The prime minister’s inability to convince voters that he has an agenda for national renewal, and the demoralising effect that has had on the Labour party, make a leadership challenge look plausible after local elections next May. Maybe sooner. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/JQljg0U