Busting the Myth of the ‘Independent’ Water Commission

Windrush Against Sewage Pollution (WASP) with our support has written to Sir Jon Cunliffe to ask him “to express no confidence in the commission as it stands and respectfully ask you to negotiate a truly independent review of the entire sector in view, as originally promised, with broad terms of reference free of involvement by any of the compromised parties, other than as respondents and witnesses.” and if that is not possible, to stand down.

As you know we established the People’s Commission on the Water Sector because the Cunliffe Commission Terms of Reference were inadequate, in oder to plug the gaps with an inquiry in public.  Many of us have written to Sir Jon setting out our concern at the restrictions in the ToR (eg Ilkley Clean River Group), and asking for these to be changed. But despite this nothing has happened, the ToR remain the same and Defra remains in charge of the Cunliffe Commission.

WASP go further than all of us, by setting out how complicit Defra is in the water scandal “Defra has consistently demonstrated it is deeply invested in creating and maintaining pro privatisation myths. It is neither independent nor a trustworthy source of information.” and busting the myth of this being a ‘once in a lifetime’ or independent review.