Water Companies: Nationalisation
(asked on 14th May 2026) - View Source
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether existing legislation prevents the Government from nationalising a water company.
Answered by
Emma Hardy
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This question was answered on 22nd May 2026
The Water Act 1989 and the Water (Target Investment Limit) Order 1990 limit Government shareholdings in water companies to around 3% (exact figure differs by company).
Nationalisation would need new primary legislation to require changes to water company ownership structures and compensate existing owners.