The Tide Is Turning: 113,827 Brits Demand Public Ownership of Water

Public ownership of water is back in the spotlight – and the public is making its voice heard.

Yesterday, Clive Lewis MP, in collaboration with Compass and 38 Degrees, handed the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs a petition signed by 113,827 of us calling on the Government to put public ownership of water back on the table. The public’s message is clear: our water system is in crisis, and continuing to prioritise private profits over public wellbeing is no longer an option.

Since privatisation in 1989, water companies in England have operated as private monopolies. The results? Soaring bills, widespread sewage pollution, and billions paid out to shareholders, all while essential infrastructure crumbles.

For years, the public has been told that there’s no alternative. But more and more people are rejecting that narrative. They’re asking: why should a basic human necessity be run for profit at all?

This petition, and the enormous public response it has created, reflect growing frustration and support for a different path. People want a system that works for communities, not shareholders. They want clean rivers and safe seas. They want transparency, accountability, and investment in the future – not in executive bonuses.

Across the country, people are asking fundamental questions about who our economy serves, and what kind of future we want to build. The water crisis is a symptom of a much deeper problem: one where essential services are treated as assets to extract from, rather than systems to care for.

Reclaiming water for the public isn’t just about fixing leaks or lowering bills. It’s about rebalancing power. It’s about ensuring that decisions over vital resources are made democratically, in the public interest, not behind closed boardroom doors.

At yesterday’s petition hand in, we sent a clear message to the Government: listen to the public and consider bringing the broken water system back into public ownership now.