Stadlen, another victim of the floods, should be thanked for alerting the FT to Thames Water's appalling stewardship of our one-time assets.
Will the article embarrass Thames Water's board?
Probably not: after all, the TW chairman, Ian Marchant, seemed quite unembarrassed at being fined £10 million for corporate miss-selling whilst CEO of SSE, the Scottish utility.
Thames Water has agreed to an Independent Expert Group reviewing its performance at the time of the July 12th floods.
The chairman is Mike Woolgar. Mr. Woolgar works for WS Atkins. Atkins benefits from £50 million contracts with Thames Water.
We must assume that Mr. Woolgar will be totally impartial.
Willis Towers Watson, Thames Water's brokers have already pre-empted the results of Mr. Woolgar's group.
All claims are being rejected by WTW who say there was no negligence on the part of Thames Water!
Once more, the Dame is on the button after her break. How can Woolgar ever be independent....
ReplyDeleteIt's a fait accompli...the brokers say TW is guilt free
ReplyDeleteTommy Stadlen plus the Dame? Watch out, Thames Water
ReplyDeleteJonson Cox was CEO of Anglian Water when it paid a net total of £1.6m in corporation tax on its profits between 2004 and 2010. In three of those years the company received a tax credit from the exchequer, while its share price soared and huge dividends were paid out. Cox resigned from Anglian Water in January 2010, departing with a payout of £9.5m in salary, pensions and bonuses, according to accounts filed at Companies House. Cox, whilst chairman of OFWAT complained about tax dodging by other water companies.You could not make it up!
ReplyDeleteMike Woolgar is doubtless a man of great integrity. His company, WS Atkins, is a preferred supplier to Thames Water. Were there no other skilled water engineers in the United Kingdom or Republic of Ireland without commercial connections to Thames Water? It seems unlikely. If the results of his Enquiry vindicate Thames Water of negligence there will be questions raised over impartiality. The choice of Mr Woolgar as IEG chairman was flawed.
ReplyDeleteFor years we have been shouting at Africa to stop corruption. But we ignore what is happening in our own back yard. Our politicians should be calling out the kind of cronyism that enables a major supplier to a utility like Thames Water to Chair an inquiry into wrongdoing.
DeleteFelicity Buchan MP, Cllr Campbell (RBKC Leader) and Cllr Faulks (Cabinet Member for Business) should be exposing abuse and profiteering by utility companies. This would be more helpful to residents than £3000 "sitting out benches", Council supplied "personal alarms" and "Al fresco dining" in resident parking spaces.
Publicly funded RBKC politicians need to examine their priorities.
The utilities sector is regulated albeit very lightly compared to others. Should we escalate to the regulator and highlight the undeniable conflict of interest in the structure that has been set up to "independently" assess TW performance or lack of thereof? What about the Ombudsman? is there a lawyer in this blog that can opine on these two possible escalations and how effective they could be? what happened to the famous pump in Lots Road that was not manually activated until the damage was done?
ReplyDeleteHigh tide on 12th of July (a not particularly high) was at 4:40 pm - it was continuously falling before and during the flooding incident. By 6:30 pm it was 1.63mt below this high. On a 1930 Main Drainage map there are two pumping stations - the one at Lots Road is shown as being slightly upstream from the Counters Creek Sewer draining west Kensington, and therefore seemingly not controlling it. The Western Pumping Station at Chelsea Bridge is the next downstream one, taking the Ranelaugh Sewers which would seemingly drain Portobello Road.
DeleteKnowing of Marchant's record at SSE how why did the non executive directors of Thames Water ever agree his appointment as chairman
ReplyDeleteRoyal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea refuses to fund a QC's Opinion to challenge. RBK&C also has blame in this game
ReplyDeleteRBKC has been lazy and negligent. And incompetent. Ten years ago there was a similar Thames Water cock up in the Borough and (guess what) the Town Hall commissioned an Inquiry. This was quickly forgotten and no action taken re the recommendations.
DeleteThis year there was another Thames Water cock up. And guess what? RBKC commissioned an Inquiry.
The Councillors are too busy trying to do populist administration like sitting out benches, personal alarms and Al Fresco dining. They are not bothered by boring things like utilities and Grenfell safety.
Who decided on Woolgar? Thames Water?
ReplyDeleteWEW is one on the most successful water engineering companies in Europe. https://wewengineering.ie/team/seamus-crickley/ Seamus Crickley would have been the ideal candidate as chair of the Enquiry. It would appear, unlike Mr Woolgar, he has no running contracts with Thames Water. We should be told who nominated Mr. Woolgar.
ReplyDeleteIt is not unusual for large companies, and their insurers, to deny liability when they have been negligent.They act in this unethical way because they know that most people shy away from issuing legal proceedings. Why? Because legal proceedings are expensive and people don't have the resources to issue them. These corporate bully boys rely on this inequality in resources to save money - Don't fight City Hall. Ordinary people are shitted on and suffer the injustice. Now remember, the law is about the law
ReplyDeleteand it is never about JUSTICE
IT IS OFTEN A DIFFERENT KETTLE OF FISH when a claimant issues legal proceedings. These Corporate Bully Boys often start negotiating when claims are issued in Court and reach settlements. The Kensington and CHelsea TMO were past masters at this, never admitting liability when they were negligent but changing tack when proceedings were issued.
The TMO Board always supported its unethical management because they were treated very differently when the TMO was negligent.
Dizzy Lizzie knows that Thames Water is seeing people off by claiming that they are not legally liable. Because a company says this, does not make it true.
DeleteThis Dizzy Lizzie one was on the TMO Board. As a good Tory and former Company Director, she knows exactly what these shark companies do. Time for Dizzy Lizzie to become Busy Lizzie and back the little people.
ReplyDeleteLord Justice Seddon said,in Fergusson v British Gas - It is one of the glories of this Country when one of its citizens scores a victory against the battalions of business and industry. One such person is Miss Fergusson.
BUT Miss Fergusson had to remortgage her house to get justice from BRITISH GAS.
Come on Lizzy, be a moral Tory.Whatever happened to the Tory sense of fair play?
It is just awful that bullies like Thames Water and Willis Towers Watson rely on the fear of legal costs to shield themselves from customers seeking retribution. The Regulator should provide a safeguard for consumers but OFWAT has remained curiously quiet in the current case of REPEAT floods in Kensington and Chelsea.
ReplyDeleteIn America the consumer protection is just that. Consumer protection. The Public Utility Commissions (PUCs) come down like a hydrogen bomb on any utility that is negligent or seeks to impose unfair pricing. In California, Thames Water would be Thames toast
Can't understand why the RBKC Council does not score some brownie points by going after Thames Water. Even if this means spending some Council Tax. It would be a dream campaign for the PR Department in Hornton Street
DeleteAbsolutely right 7.57. Going after Thames Water would be useful activity for the Hornton Street PR crowd instead of all the fluff that they have been peddling in the last months
ReplyDeleteThing is, would they have the first clue about how to run a PR campaign?
This high profile Tory Council has, and has had, some of the finet Tories in the Country serving on it.
ReplyDeleteDizzie Lizzie,
Exceptionally Dim Tim,
Sir Pooter,
Rock Fielding Mellen,
Maighread Condon Simmonds.
Come on Local Tory Associations get some decent Tories on to the Council to get it sorted out once and for all.
"Rock" has to be OK. Cousin of Cllr Weale, the bird brain in dizzy's Cabinet.
DeleteFamily credentials count in RBKC
Whatever happened to ex Clrr Gardener? And ex Clrr Borwick? Two dedicated and caring Councillors. Why do the Ward Associations replace them with the likes of Faulks and Woodger?
DeleteSomething wrong is happening
Gardner and Borwick are their own people, as is Cllr Robert Freeman. Insecure and futile Leaders like Cllr dizzy Campbell and disgraced ex Councillor Pooter Cockle are most comfortable with poodles around them. Hence the likes of Faulks, Weale and Cllr Mona Rossi. And we end up with a weak administration in the Town Hall
DeleteWhat on earth is Whip It Out muttering about......
Delete17:18 he knows exactly what he is talking about. Borwick was the best of breed.Those with long memories will recall she was the sole councillor who stood with residents opposed to the destruction of Sloane Square.
DeleteHer history has always been one of serving residents like a dog with a bone irrespective
of who they are and where they live.
Borwick was never in local politics to advance herself: she was always there to advance the interests of those she represented.
Borwick’s problem is she finds it impossible to dissemble and that does not help one in the greasy pole climbing arena of local politics.
My favourite Councillor was Sam Mackover. He had no shit or nonsense from the TMO. Can't say the same for Kensington's Labour Councillors. These socialists are supposed to love Council tenants.
DeleteHello. I am trying to get in touch with Wolstan Dixie, who posted a comment on this site 31 December 2021 at 19:46 . I am from FLAG, flooding pressure group and we could use your expertise. Contact me on aalto@sky.com - thanks!
ReplyDeleteJuliet, I have passed on your contact details
DeleteWot's the Labour Party doing to show up these awful, insular, Tories?
DeleteLabour is no good as an opposition party on the Tory Council. They only take up cases that suit them.
DeleteLabour was different when Judith Blakeman was in charge.
DeleteDear Dame,
ReplyDeleteThe Kensington Tories are in the pockets of big business and let's face it, business does not get much bigger than Thames Water. The Labour lot haven't done much to help.
Do you think we could start a crowdfunding campaign so that those affected by this appalling Corporate Negligence get some decent legal advice?
Signed by a friend of our gracious and glorious lady, the Dame Hornet.
An excellent idea. I have no doubt Elizabeth Campbell-who pays lip service to backing victims- would want the Council to contribute/
ReplyDeleteJustin,
ReplyDeleteI would be prepared to support any crowdfunding campaign with a donation of £100. I am surprised that Councillor Elizabeth Campbell did not suggest crowdfunding to those whose homes and lives have been ruined by Thames Water's drains. I suppose she is more interested in looking after "big business" than making sure that the "little people" who have no money to pursue Thames Water.
Lizzie,
ReplyDeleteDance yourself dizzy and raid the coffers of your tight fisted Tory Council and award a small grant of a few thousand pounds so that Thames Water's victims may obtain some decent legal advice to counter the denials of Thames Water. This is not the same the Council funding legal action.
We have all seen how tight fisted Kensington Council was in saving money on Grenfell cladding. We are not asking for Labour style profligacy just decency.
Dance yourself dizzy, Lizzie, until you boogaloo.
DeleteJust think of all those good people whose homes are ruined because you prefer Thames Water to people
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