BATH MP Wera Hobhouse has supported an amendment to the Water (Special Measures) Bill calling for an immediate ban on executive bonuses at Wessex Water following the company's recent £5.3m repayment due to poor performance.

The new government’s Water Bill is set to be debated in Parliament. The Liberal Democrats have said the Bill is only a “half-measure” and will table an amendment that would enforce an immediate ban on water company bosses’ bonuses.

Analysis of Company House records by the Liberal Democrats has found water company executives have made £35 million in bonuses since 2021. 

The party previously revealed that there were 2035 sewage spills in Bath last year. This is the most recent data available and uses the old constituency boundaries.

Bath MP Wera Hobhouse said that the steps by the regulator announced last week needed to be a “watershed” moment for water companies and that it was “high time” action was taken on these polluting firms.

Under the government’s new Water Bill, water company executive bonuses will be determined by key test indicators established by Ofwat. Bath MP Wera Hobhouse is backing the Liberal Democrat amendment which calls for an outright ban on water company bosses altogether.

The Water (Special Measures) Bill is part of a wider effort by the government to address growing concerns over water pollution and infrastructure failures, with Bath being one of the areas significantly impacted by sewage spills in recent years.

Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Bath, Wera Hobhouse, said: “For too long the Conservatives allowed water companies to ride roughshod over people, which leaves filthy sewage to be pumped into our local waterways in Bath. All the while, water bosses took home eye-watering bonuses leaving consumers across our city to pay the price.

“That must end. We cannot allow polluters to be personally rewarded for failing to protect our local environment as people in Bath are paying sky high bills.

“Disappointingly, the new government’s Bill is only a half-measure and nowhere near tough enough on these firms.

“That is why I am proud to support the Liberal Democrats’ amendment to the Bill, which would ban water company bosses' bonuses until leaks are fixed and sewage spills end. Only then will we start to get a fair deal for people here in Bath.”

Mrs Hobhouse has supported stronger environmental protections, previously campaigning for cleaner air in Bath and calling for more government action on climate change and renewable energy.

Wessex Water has clarified the ‘sewage spills’ referenced by Mrs Hobhouse refer to storm overflow discharges, according to data supplied to the Environment Agency. These discharges occur automatically during or after storms and primarily release rainwater to prevent flooding. The company said it does not ‘pump sewage’ into waterways.

Wessex Water also stated that none of its directors have received a bonus related to environmental performance for the past two years.

A Wessex Water spokesperson said: “For the second year running, no bonuses relating to environmental performance have been paid to our directors. Bonuses are set by an independent remuneration committee and assessed against a range of different metrics.”

“We’ve listened to our customers’ concerns in setting out plans to invest £3.65 billion in service improvements from 2025. We now need Ofwat to approve these plans.”