英国环境大臣安吉拉·伊格尔宣布政府将在水费定价过程中进行前所未有的干预1。这是政府首次对由水务监管机构Ofwat主导的五年价格审查过程进行直接干预，标志着英国水务部门监管方式的重大转变1。伊格尔在信中要求水务公司降低成本、减少漏水和污水溢出，并强调将"可负担性"作为首要优先事项，以"激光般的专注力关注客户的物有所值"1。
政府警告水务公司此次"不会是常规的价格审查，这是向不同水务系统长期过渡的开始"1。2024年最后一次价格审查授权了1040亿英镑的现代化计划，导致本十年代后半段平均水费上涨36%，其中南方水务公司客户涨幅最大，到2030年将上涨53%，平均每年642英镑1。泰晤士水务公司现金短缺，最近向债权人要求额外24亿英镑1。
政府计划在定于2029年完成的下一个价格审查中实施更强有力的权力1。Andy Burnham的10年计划将进一步赋予政府更多权限1。Burnham此前承诺将国有化泰晤士水务公司，但正在努力寻找无需花费数十亿英镑或陷入冗长诉讼的方式1。
Environment Secretary Angela Eagle has announced that the government will intervene directly in the water pricing process for the first time, marking a significant shift in the regulation of England and Wales's water sector 1. The intervention represents the first occasion the government has involved itself in Ofwat's five-year price review cycle, which has traditionally been led by the independent water regulator 1.
In her directive to water companies, Eagle has emphasized affordability as a top priority and called for "laser-focused attention" on customer value for money 1. The announcement follows the most recent price review concluded in 2024, which authorized £104 billion in modernization spending and resulted in average water bill increases of 36% during the latter half of this decade 1. Southern Water customers face the steepest hikes, with bills projected to rise 53% by 2030, reaching an average of £642 annually 1. Thames Water, which has recently requested an additional £2.4 billion from creditors due to cash shortages, is among the companies under government scrutiny 1.
The government has signaled that further powers will be implemented in the next price review scheduled for 2029, warning that "this will not be a standard price review; it is the beginning of a long-term transition for different water systems" 1. This intervention follows Andy Burnham's earlier commitment to nationalize Thames Water, though efforts to achieve this goal without spending billions or facing protracted legal proceedings are ongoing 1.
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