THE SNP have said that soaring water bills in England and Wales shows the benefits of nationalising key public services.
Privatised water companies south of the Border have set out a five-year plan to prevent 140,000 sewage overflow spills per year — but will ask for customer bills to rise by about £156 annually.
Responding to the news, SNP energy spokesperson Dave Doogan challenged Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer to "stop privatising key services and instead follow Scotland's lead by putting water back in public hands".
He also warned that "families in England and Wales are paying an eye-watering price for failing services under Westminster control" and added that "independence is the only way to guarantee key services are safe in public hands".
House of Commons Library analysis, commissioned by the SNP, indicates that households in England and Wales are paying almost 10% more for water and sewerage bills than those in Scotland, at £448 per year compared to around £410 in Scotland as of 2023/24.
Figures obtained by the SNP also found that privatised water companies in England and Wales paid out at least £32.7 billion in dividends to shareholders between 2002/03 and 2021/22. On average, privatised water company bosses in England and Wales were paid £1.48 million a year in 2021/22. Keir Starmer U-turned on his leadership election pledge to nationalise water companies in July.
Commenting, Doogan said: "It's a scandal that, in the middle of a cost of living crisis, the Westminster government is sitting on its hands while privatised water companies seek to ramp up household bills even further.
"Families in England and Wales are paying an eye-watering price for failing services under Westminster control - showing the huge benefits of Scotland's publicly-owned water service.
"The Tories and Labour Party must stop privatising key services - and instead follow Scotland's lead by putting water back in public hands, where it belongs.
"With Sir Keir Starmer joining the Tories in opposing nationalisation of water, and calling for more private sector involvement in the NHS, it's clear none of the Westminster parties can be trusted - and independence is the only way to guarantee key services are safe in public hands.
"At the General Election, voting SNP is the only way to secure independence, tackle the cost of living, and prioritise investment in public services instead of more Westminster privatisation."
