'No Confidence' Debate To Be Held Over Southern Water

An Isle of Wight Council debate on declaring no confidence in Southern Water will be held amid a ‘service’ and ‘public trust failure’, Councillor Becca Cameron said after a meeting with the utility’s CEO Lawrence Gosden.

The leaders of the Conservative and Green Party groups as well as two All for Islanders representatives have spoken out following the landmark discussion behind closed doors at County Hall on Thursday (June 11).

Southern Water meanwhile said it understands residents have concerns about its work on the Island and it takes these ‘very seriously’.

Cllr Cameron, of the All for Islanders group, said the meeting was ‘constructive’, but residents now need ‘action, transparency and practical solutions’ rather than ‘more warm words’.

She submitted a petition calling for County Hall to declare no confidence in Southern Water which she said had reached the threshold for a full council debate in just a few days.

“Residents’ voices will now be heard publicly and formally at full council,” the councillor added.

Another All for Islanders member, Cllr Karl Love, criticised the meeting being held in private, as ‘lacking public credibility’.

“Such meetings do little to reassure residents crying out for transparency and positive scrutiny,” he said.

Cllr Love said there were a lot of ‘very good points’ and discussions held.

Conservative Ed Blake said: “Cllr Matt Price and I attended the meeting.

“Lawrence started the meeting by making a strong apology. The meeting was centred around highlighting the public’s concerns and seeking urgent solutions.

“I raised the need to seek to be using the ample amounts of groundwater within the Undercliff to give the Island a sustainable water source.

“This should be prioritised over the proposed sewage sieve at Sandown. This would also help with the amount of surface water incursion into the sewer network as the ground would have a larger capacity to absorb water.”

Cllr Claire Critchison, of the Green Party, said that after requests for meetings with Southern Water to discuss concerns being ‘turned down’ over the last five years, it is appreciated Mr Gosden met with councillors.

She said: “I really hope this will lead to a more positive engagement with the council – we receive numerous concerns about sewage discharges, flooding and now the recycled water proposal. These are just not being taken seriously enough. Confidence is at an all-time low.

“There are many initiatives that we can explore in partnership that could make significant differences to Island life, and I look forward to more regular discussions with the management team in the coming months to regain confidence.”

A Southern Water spokesperson said the meeting to discuss performance, pressures on the network and planned investment across the Isle of Wight was a ‘positive and constructive’ discussion.

They said: “We’re investing more than £67 million to improve our environmental performance and secure future water supplies. This includes accelerated work – approved by Ofwat – to cut releases from storm overflows at eight locations, including Gurnard, West Wight, Cowes, Ryde, Wroxall and Freshwater.

“Alongside this, we are upgrading infrastructure, trialling new technology and working with partners to reduce the amount of rainwater entering sewers in the first place – all of which will help protect bathing waters and the Island’s environment in the long term.

“We will continue to engage with the local community to listen to feedback and share updates on our progress.”

The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) contacted all group leaders for comment on the meeting and didn’t receive a response from Lora Peacey-Wilcox (Island First Network), James Whelan (Reform) and Andrew Garratt (Liberal Democrats).