Andy Burnham has already said he supports the idea of greater public control of essential services. As deputy Labour leader Lucy Powell threatens to renationalise Thames Water, what are the chances of
The danger of privatizing, just like the NHS. Same clients with higher costs paying taxes into it on top of the increased prices too while getting worse services and having fewer people available to do the jobs.
Can someone explain, how a company in financial crisis, be so jealously guarded by shareholders, to the extent that they are examining ways to 'legally prevent' a return to public ownership?
Is it, like I suspect, the shareholders, who make a fortune while the company is mired in debt, that may be the problem?
Put those criminals in jail, why even China has better laws than we have now, these water companies are the untouchables a bit like the BBC, who fleece the public perpetually and rewarding themselves with millions for bad results, what a flicked up country the UK has become.
it become clear privatisation was never going to work out well, companies end up being a slave to investors and profit margins so they strip assets, cut corners, overcharge, pay management bonuses and reduce investment to appease them and here we are 30-40 years later with debt ridden companies, polluted waterways and a problematic water supply.
However public run may not be such a good choice either .. look at many councils and how poorly they are managed and hemorrhaging money. There needs to be a middle ground that ensure they are run for the good of the country not just the investors !
Pretty much everyone just wants it re nationalised as Thames is legitimately the worst water company in the UK who just funnel money to their shareholders while ignoring infrastructure issues and polluting water sources.
Take every water company back. All our rivers are so polluted they are making people ill. We have hosepipe bans, sewage in rivers, probably more sewage than water as water companies abstract water while taking months to fix leaks. It’s a disgrace. Government has ignored the problem. They need to act.
Privatisation is a fail - first thing to do is seize all the board members personal assets including family assets. Reinvest that into the special measures. That will end the corporate fascism that has plagued the country. End this version of East India Company now.
Shareholders need cutting off, permanently. They've already made far more money than they've put into it. Now we need competent leadership to fix the mess and ensure it never happens again.
20 billion debt . and still paying out bonuses .. criminal.
T
tim_builds19 Jul 2026
It’s a necessary conversation, Mara, but I wonder if ownership is the real issue or if we just need a massive tech overhaul of the monitoring systems. Public control only works if it comes with a serious plan for modernization.
P
PixelPete19 Jul 2026
Thames Water is basically playing on Hard Mode right now. Total system failure. Renationalisation feels like the only way to reset the save file and actually fix the leaks. Hope they can hit a high score with the turnaround because the current management is definitely on a losing streak.
M
Mara from Daily JunctionHost19 Jul 2026
Welcome everyone! It's wild to think we're actually discussing renationalising Thames Water at this point, but given the state of things, it feels like a necessary conversation. Do you think public ownership would actually fix the leaks and service issues, or is it too late for that?
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Is it, like I suspect, the shareholders, who make a fortune while the company is mired in debt, that may be the problem?
However public run may not be such a good choice either .. look at many councils and how poorly they are managed and hemorrhaging money. There needs to be a middle ground that ensure they are run for the good of the country not just the investors !