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#DearJon

Radical reform of the water industry is in one man’s hands

Sick of swimming in sewage? Tired of water companies raking in profits while pollution runs rampant and your water bills go up? The water system in England & Wales is broken. This is our chance to fix it.

We believe the voices of the public need to be at the heart of determining the future of the water industry. So, as the voice of water-users in the UK, we created our #DearJon campaign to make this happen.

What’s the #DearJon campaign?

The government appointed Sir Jon Cunliffe (aka Jon) to lead an Independent Commission on water industry reform in England and Wales. Something we campaigned so hard for! But as Jon was collecting his evidence, water bosses and lobbyists were whispering in his ear.

With this once-in-a-generation chance to influence water industry reform… Our #Dear Jon campaign was born.

We ran surveys. Collaborated with other campaigning charities. And mobilised Ocean Activists everywhere to create and share #DearJon videos.

We uncovered a lot, used our voices, and shouted loud. We pulled these discoveries and messages into an open letter to Sir Jon himself. And we worked with River Action to create a joint submission to the Independent Water Commission.

The goal? To drown out industry fatcats and ensure Jon hears the voices of the public as he finalises his recommendations.

See our commission submission

What we discovered

The results were unanimous and public opinion is clear. People are angry, they are frustrated, and they believe the system must be completely transformed.

Now is the time for the Government to take decisive action and transform the water system, ending pollution for profit and building a fair, transparent system that protects public health, delivers value for money for customers, and restores our rivers, lakes and seas.

The current model of privatisation has failed. This is seen in the pollution of our rivers and seas, with risks to human health and environmental damage caused by weak regulation and exploitative ownership. But international examples show us there are other ways to run the water sector, approaches to finance and governance where the planning, investment and operations of water companies is carried out for public benefit (rather than in the interests of private investors), particularly when paired with municipal oversight and some form of public ownership.

What we’re calling for

We are calling on the Government to shift the water industry to a public benefit model – a system that prioritises the environment and public health over private profit. Examples include not-for-profit models, public benefit or community interest companies, public ownership, or municipal or regional water bodies. We don’t prescribe a one-size-fits-all approach but instead have set out five key principles that should be incorporated into any new system:

  1. Priority to Protect Public and Environmental Health
  2. Democratic Decision Making
  3. Tough Independent Regulators
  4. Operating for Public Benefit
  5. Transparency

How we got here

1. In-depth survey with 38 Degrees

Working with 38 Degrees, we invited the public to share their views on the UK water industry. An overwhelming 28,458 people responded.

Key findings included:

  • 78% felt angry about the current state of the water industry.
  • Top priorities for improvement were improved water environment (67%) and clean, safe water bodies for recreation (51%).
  • 34% were concerned about rising water bills, linking this to profits and executive bonuses.
  • 80% rated the regulatory framework poorly, with concerns about Ofwat and the Environment Agency being too close to industry and ineffective.
  • 70% called for a change in how roles are allocated across local, regional and national levels.

The consensus? The privatised system is unjust and fundamentally broken. The very structure of this privatised system is flawed; it cannot continue to prioritise shareholder profits over ending pollution for everyone.

2. Ocean Activist two-minute survey

We also asked our Ocean Activist community how the sewage crisis was affecting them. 3,176 users responded.

Key findings included:

  • 98% said they were angry, with many reporting serious health and community impacts.
  • 26% had become unwell after swimming in UK waters in the last two years.
  • Over 80% said water company actions had harmed their local communities.
  • Less than 2% believed the current water model works.
  • 82% want the system completely transformed.
  • 95% are dissatisfied with their water company’s performance.
  • Less than 5% trust their water company to end sewage pollution.
  • 96% say protecting the environment and public health should be the top priority.

3. #DearJon – your messages to Sir Jon

Through our survey and #DearJon social media campaign, thousands of Ocean Activists shared personal messages for Sir Jon — expressing frustration, but also hope for meaningful change. Check them out on social media, or see a few of the messages from our survey below.

Watch #DearJon videos on social

#DearJon messages from our survey:

“What has happened over the past 30 years is a disgrace. We have been paying for a vital service and the money has been given to bosses and shareholders. Now our country is being ruined by pollution. Our rivers are like veins containing the life blood we and wildlife need. Look at what they have done in the name of profit! Our island has hundreds of communities along our coastline. This is also being polluted, spoiling and soiling our places of work and recreation. Our sea is home to so much incredible wildlife. What right have we to poison them?”

– Chris

“I have a physical and mental health condition and swimming in my local waterway gave me quality of life and community. This was all taken away from us. Many of us got sick and developed hepatitis. We no longer feel safe and have ended up costing the NHS lots of money to recover from diseased water. We also stopped using local businesses in the area as we no longer had a reason to leave the house. I urge you, please don’t sit back and let money skew your decisions. Do the right thing.”

– Hannah

“We live on the coast and couldn’t swim for over 50% of the days last year because of sewage and it’s getting worse each year. Southern Water didn’t invest in upgrading infrastructure for years but paid themselves huge salaries and dividends. We are now expected to pay 49% higher bills to cover their failures as a business. How is this acceptable? How and when will it ever improve if there isn’t radical change? Clean water is a human right and should never be a business run for profit.”

– Elsa

“At a time when there has a been a significant increase in people accessing water for recreation (open/cold water swimming, SUP, surfing etc) and its positive impact on mental health, it’s ridiculous that these assets are being polluted. It leaves people having to choose between going for the positive impact on mental health/fitness and potentially being ill, or not going to avoid illness but losing those positive mental benefits. Never mind the environmental impact and the destruction of rare features like chalk streams!”

– Paul

#DearJon campaign FAQs

Sir Jon Cunliffe is ex-Deputy Governor of the Bank of England, ex-UK Permanent Representative to the EU but crucially now the Chair of the Independent Water Commission. 

Jon, along with his team who sit on the Commission, hold the future of the water industry in England and Wales in his hands.  

Established in October 2024, following the pressure of our #EndSewagePollution election campaign, the Independent Water Commission is responsible for delivering the government “practical and deliverable” recommendations on how to reform the water sector in England and Wales. And the government will listen. 

This is a once in a generation chance to reform the water industry in England and Wales. The message is louder and clearer than ever: the Commission must take radical action which ends polluting our waterways for profit. It’s time for a system that places the health of the planet and people first, not the health of shareholders’ bank balances.  

We are only a few months into 2025, and we are still seeing sewage dumped in our seas and rivers at an astonishing rate. There is a sewage pollution crisis. Water companies continue to break the law, polluting our blue spaces whilst taking home big bonuses, all while consumer bills are rising. We are sick of this and the time for change is now. We cannot see pollution for profit continue. 

A Call for Evidence has begun on the management of the water industry, which will see Sir Jon and his team review evidence from across the board, including from the public. This is a critical step, and we will be feeding evidence and questions into this enquiry.  

The public are also able to submit evidence, however, it is a beast of a process, and so we’re helping you make your voice heard.

Despite years of investment, sewage and agricultural pollution still plague our seas and rivers. Huge volumes of contaminated effluent and run-off mean the UK is ranked last in Europe for bathing water quality. The UK’s antiquated sewerage system is woefully inadequate. Water companies have failed to invest to protect the coastal and river environment. They instead rely on a network of around 18,000 licensed sewer overflows to routinely discharge raw sewage into rivers and the ocean.

Whilst raw sewage flows into our blue spaces, making us sick and damaging ecosystems, polluters have simply been profiteering. Water companies have paid out an eye watering £60 billion in dividends to shareholders over the last 30 years. Fat cat CEOs are often granted six figure pay packets every year, all whilst consumer water bills continue to rise.

The current system is broken, and we demand a water industry that delivers for people and the planet, not one that benefits the bank balances of shareholders. We are demanding transformational reform of the water industry.

Yes! SAS has submitted evidence to the Commission as part of the official call for evidence. We are calling on the Water Commission to deliver ambitious recommendations that lead to transformational reform of the industry. We need to see an end to pollution for profit and reform must deliver a fair and transparent system that prioritises public health and value for customer money, and our blue spaces must stop being treated like open sewers by water companies.

The incentives of the water industry must not be to deliver profit. The Commission must ensure that the water industry in England and Wales works for people and the planet, not shareholders pockets. Sir Jon Cunliffe and the Independent Water Commission’s review must call out this problem to ensure the water industry can tackle the cause of pollution at it source.