Chancellor Rachel Reeves has described a planned average 21% increase to water bills as a “bitter pill” for consumers amid the sewage pollution scandal and cost-of-living crisis. Household water bills in England and Wales are to rise by an average £19 a year over the next five years. Rachel Reeves promised the Government will “get a grip” on the water sector. Report by Covellm. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
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00:00It's clearly a bitter pill for people who are seeing today announcements about higher
00:05water bills. This reflects 14 years of failure from the Conservatives to drive investment,
00:11to reduce pollution and to ensure that families are not struggling in the way that they have
00:16been with the cost of living crisis. It's why the Secretary of State for Environment,
00:21Steve Reid, has called in the 16 bosses of the water companies today and also we've already
00:28announced tough new rules to ensure that money that's supposed to go into infrastructure
00:32cannot just be paid out in bonuses and tougher rules around polluting as well. We're determined
00:38to get a grip on the water sector so it delivers for consumers and so that we stop polluting
00:44our beautiful seas and rivers and we will get a grip of that.