A SCOTTISH water executive who took hundreds of thousands in bonuses during a pay dispute with workers has been given a top role in the government body tasked with overhauling the water sector in England and Wales.
The appointment of Douglas Millican, the former chief executive of Scottish Water, to the Independent Water Commission Advisory Group has been labelled “frankly insulting” by the Greens.
According to the UK Government website, the commission aims to review the water sector as a whole and the “UK and Welsh governments have introduced major legislation with new powers to bring criminal charges against water executives and a ban on bonuses”.
Millican took a £242,000 bonus in 2023/2024, on top of his six figure salary, whilst the public company engaged in worker pay disputes.
Feargal Sharkey, the former lead singer of The Undertones who is now the most prominent water reform campaigner in the UK, called out Millican’s appointment on social media.
“I see the ‘Independent’ Water Commission has a new member appointed,” he wrote.
“Douglas Millican former CEO of Scottish Water who caused outrage when he shared almost £1 million in bonuses with two colleagues on top of their already six-figure salaries.
“Well that's alright then.”
The commission said that the former executive would bring “direct operational experience from the water industry to the group”.
The announcement for the commission goes on to detail legislation introduced by the government, that includes “giving the water regulator new powers to ban the payment of bonuses if environmental standards are not met”.
Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie responded to the appointment of Millican, branding it “quite frankly insulting to the workers who are taking strike action this month over pay disputes”.
Unite the union confirmed on Friday that its 500-strong Scottish Water membership would take strike action on March 28 amid “a dispute over pay following a breakdown in talks”.
“It is clear that the Scottish Government must take action to put an end to the long running scandal of excessive pay in our public water company, as well as the low remuneration for the workforce driving Scottish Water’s success.”
Water bills for Scots are expected to rise by almost 10% in April, though are expected to be cheaper than price rises in England and Wales, where water services are privatised.
Previously, responding to the public outrage surrounding the Scottish Water bonuses, the firm stated that executive salaries “are agreed by the Scottish Water board and the Scottish Government and are based on market factors to ensure we have the right people leading our business".
The Independent Water Commission published its eight-week call for evidence in February, and will provide final recommendations to both UK and Welsh governments in the summer.
