29/05/08
Forty years ago, when water services were to a large extent accountable to local authorities, people took a more active interest in how their water was managed. If they had a complaint they could take it to their local councillor and if the response was inadequate, they could vote the councillor out of office.
Today, the service is much more efficient and much more reliable but we have sacrificed involvement for efficiency. Research shows that the only real contact most people have with the service is when they pay their bill. We have to restore that sense of ownership.
The people we serve must play a bigger part in the decisions we make. There needs to be a more informed and interactive relationship between the public and their water services.
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