Wealden council calls on Southern Water to upgrade infrastructure

The council issued the plea as part of its response to a consultation on the water company’s Draft Drainage and Wastewater Management Plan, which proposes how it will meet its infrastructure challenges up until 2050.

It also comes on the back of a Full Council Motion earlier in the summer when councillors unanimously agreed to hold Southern Water to account and take a lead on addressing issues of sewage backing up in the homes and gardens of residents, according to WDC.

WDC said Southern Water is consulting stakeholders, including the council, as there have been concerns regarding existing water infrastructure considering the number of homes the council is expected to provide.

In the response, the council says it has concerns around the low level of upgrading water systems both in terms of pipework capacity and treatment for new development.

A WDC spokesperson added: “The response also says that the council and its communities in Wealden have lost faith in Southern Water and that the water company should consider reducing profits and shareholder dividends instead of funding these improvements through customer bills in the first instance.”

WDC leader Ann Newton said: “It is considered imperative for both the health of the public and state of the environment that this plan from Southern Water acts as a catalyst to deliver the change necessary across our sewerage network.

“We do consider it necessary to update and upgrade current water infrastructure, to investigate new alternatives and futureproof the network. The council’s emerging Local Plan will of course pursue efforts to achieve this, subject to financial viability, and is also actively considering policy issues around surface water drainage, the use of sustainable drainage systems and water efficiency for new developments.”

Southern Water said: “We welcome feedback from Wealden council following our Drainage and Wastewater Management Plan consultation.

“We know there are areas of our business that need improvement and we are investing £2bn between 2020-2025 to improve our operational performance. This is equivalent to £1,000 for each property in our region.

"We have paid no external dividends since 2017 and our shareholders strongly support the investments we need to make.”

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