Welsh water wars bubbling up

A political row is gaining traction in Wales over the devolved administration’s lack of full powers over water.

The dispute has intensified following the revelation that, five years ago, Welsh ministers asked Westminster to delay the transfer which was pencilled in for 2022 but didn’t happen.

Plaid Cymru is currently up in arms over new plans that would see large quantities of water transported from Wales for the benefit of consumers in the south east of England.

Currently the Welsh government has jurisdiction over Dwr Cymru Welsh Water, but not over Severn Trent Water, which supplies water to parts of mid and north Wales as well as to England, or United Utilities, which also supplies water from Wales to England.

A Freedom of Information request by former Plaid Cymru leader, Adam Price, indicated that five years ago the Welsh government requested a delay in the transfer of powers because of the legal and governance complexities.

Sorting this out will involve government, regulators and water companies reviewing and amending a variety of legislation and statutory plans which currently operate on a cross-border basis and resolving a number of complex licencing and regulatory issues which are likely to involve changes to the licence of Welsh Water to enable the one company to operate within two legislative and regulatory frameworks.

Price pointed out that a year after the deadline the Welsh government set itself for the transfer, the powers remain at Westminster. “We deserve a full explanation from the Welsh government as to why it has not secured the full powers Wales should have over water.

“Wales has been let down by what is a significant failure in governance,” Price added.

Water remains an emotive issue in Wales since the submerging of the village of Capel Celyn in the Tryweryn Valley in 1965 to supply water to Liverpool.