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10
Nov 2023
Harrogate Lib Dems criticise Yorkshire Water £2m executive payments
Harrogate and Knaresborough Liberal Democrats have criticised Yorkshire Water after it paid senior executives £2 million in bonuses last year.
Companies House documents show the water firm paid a total of £2.09 million to four executives in the year ending March 2023.
The move comes as Yorkshire Water has faced criticism this year for pumping sewage into local rivers.
Tom Gordon, Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for Harrogate and Knaresborough, said the water industry had become a “gravy train”.
He added that chief executives of water companies should be banned from taking bonuses.
Mr Gordon said:
In response, a Yorkshire Water spokesperson said:
Read more:
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The comments come as Yorkshire Water recently submitted a £7.8 billion proposal to Ofwat as part of investment plans for 2025 to 2030.
The company’s plan includes £3.1 billion to improve resilience in the water network, £4.3 billion to protect river and coastal water quality and investment in customer service and financial support for customers.
However, it would mean average bills would rise from £438.12 in 2024/25 (£36.51 per month) to £518.76 in 2025/26 (£43.23 per month) with increases each year thereafter.
Mr Gordon previously described the move as “utterly scandalous”.
However, Andrew Jones, Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, said the plan was a step up for Yorkshire Water and would help to “strengthen” plans for a bathing water application for the River Nidd.
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