A meeting between Southern Water and Isle of Wight councillors to be held later today (Thursday) has been called over mounting public concern for water quality across the Island.
The meeting, which will not be open to the public or press, as confirmed by the council, aims to be an ‘informal discussion’ designed to build ‘awareness and understanding’ of the company’s strategic planning and direction, a spokesperson for the local authority said yesterday.
They said it will also help inform future dialogue on matters of local interest.
County Hall has said that as the meeting is not a formal one or a decision-making forum, it is therefore not being conducted in public.
The visit to the Island by Southern Water CEO Lawrence Gosden comes after a request from the Liberal Democrats in February, delayed due to the May 7 elections.
It follows several bathing warnings issued by the Environment Agency for different parts of the Island, including in the West Wight.
There is also concern over the ‘planned recommissioning’ of a Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) pipeline at Bembridge Point.
Liberal Democrat councillor Michael Lilley, who helped organise the visit, said Mr Gosden’s meeting is welcome news.
It is hoped the CEO will also agree to be at public meetings in East and West Wight in the future.
All they do is talk we want action? It’s 2026 sewage should not be allowed to be pumped into the environment/ sea?? Sort it out, mr CEO who gets paid big bucks to do what exactly??
Nothing will get done, that’s why islanders and press are not allowed to attend.
Yet we pay the bill’s and don’t have a say!
Scandalous
Like most CEOs only care for their profits, nothing
else matters to them.
Not just their profits, mainly their bonuses
“several bathing warnings issued by the Environment Agency for different parts of the Island”
Lookat the map it’s not several it’s the whole island
Keep going on like this and we will have to change the name of the island ….
Isle of Shite could be the frontrunner.
I feel sorry for the tourism trade, who in their right
mind would pay extortionate ferry fares and extortionate
accommodation charges to swim in sh*t!
Obviously the sea is not net zero with all this crap
going into it.