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Chamber and committees

Public Sector Water Contracts for the Common Good

  • Submitted by: Alison Johnstone, Lothian, Scottish Green Party.
  • Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 February 2015
  • Motion reference: S4M-12430

That the Parliament is appalled by reports that the Scottish Ministers’ promises to keep Scottish Water in public hands and a “public sector success story” might be undermined by the award of a major £350 million public sector contract to the private sector company, Anglian Water; understands that the current contract to supply mains and waste water services to more than 100 public sector organisations is delivered by Business Stream, which is 100%-owned by Scottish Water and ploughs profits back into the public sector; believes that calculations by Corporate Watch suggest that Anglian Water paid £151 million to its private owners in 2012, but just £1 million in tax, despite recording an operating profit of £363 million; understands that the private company has also been accused of avoiding millions in tax by taking out high-interest loans from its owners by way of the Channel Islands stock exchange and routing profits through tax havens, and believes that water services should be in public hands, with public contracts benefiting the common good, not corporate profit.


Supported by: Neil Findlay, John Finnie, Rhoda Grant, Patrick Harvie, Cara Hilton, Jean Urquhart