A Calder Valley Labour motion on Yorkshire Water was passionately debated and unanimously passed at the recent Yorkshire & Humber Labour Regional Conference which was held in Sheffield. The motion was moved by our member Rebecca Hainsworth in a very well received speech. The text of the motion is given below…

Yorkshire Water Accountability and Affordability

Four Yorkshire rivers are in England’s ten most polluted – Calder, Aire, Don and Derwent. Almost 17% of 2023 sewage spills were attributed to Yorkshire Water with 77,761 spills. Only 7.1% were weather related, with inadequate infrastructure a major factor.

Yorkshire Water also fails to make more water and land accessible for recreation, denying residents the wellbeing benefits that clean and accessible waterways bring. Community applications under the Designated Bathing Waters Regulations 2013 are unviable due to poor water quality.

Despite these failings, Yorkshire Water paid over £60 million dividends to shareholders in 2024. One third of every Yorkshire Water bill covers dividends and debt. With water bills set to increase 30% over the next five years, Yorkshire households will pay an extra £177 annually.

We welcome the Water Special Measures Bill and additionally call on the Government to:

1. Place Yorkshire Water into special administration, eventually bringing it back into public ownership with services managed for public benefit, not private profit.
2. Increase regulatory enforcement to hold Yorkshire Water accountable for sewage pollution, ensuring it meets strict targets for water quality and infrastructure investment.
3. Cap water company dividends and debt, ensuring that water bills remain affordable.
4. Place a legal duty on Yorkshire Water to make more inland and coastal waters available for safe public recreational access.

We call on Labour to ensure that water in Yorkshire is responsibly managed in the public interest and accessible to all, promoting environmental sustainability and public health.