Formal Letter of No Confidence - Formal Vote of No Confidence in South West Water (SWW)

Sep 17, 2026

Formal letter from St Agnes Parish Council and other Cornish town and parish councils to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) demanding urgent government intervention against South West Water (SWW). Dated 2 June 2026, it issues a formal vote of no confidence and petition for special administration. The letter cites long-term failures in infrastructure and public health, financial mismanagement and breach of public trust, and inadequate governance, requesting revocation of SWW’s licence and transition to publicly owned service delivery.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLetters

FormatPDF

Pages2

Reading Time1 min

AccessFree to download

Formal Vote of No Confidence

Reasons for the no-confidence petition

Failure of Infrastructure and Public Health

Financial Mismanagement and Breach of Public Trust

Inadequacy of Governance

Formal demand and next steps

St Agnes Parish Council Parish Clerk: Catherine Nutting LLB, PGDip, BA (Hons), PSLCC Parish Rooms, 17 Vicarage Road St Agnes, Cornwall TR5 0TL 01872 553801 [clerk@stagnes-pc.gov.uk](clerk@stagnes-pc.gov.uk)[ ](clerk@stagnes-pc.gov.uk)[www.stagnes-pc.gov.uk](www.stagnes-pc.gov.uk) Formal Letter of No Confidence TO: Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) CC: The Chief Executive of Ofwat; The Leader of Cornwall Council; Cornwall’s Members of Parliament. DATE: 2nd June 2026 SUBJECT: Formal Vote of No Confidence in South West Water (SWW) and Petition for Special Administration. To the Secretary of State, We, the undersigned Town and Parish Councils of Cornwall, representing the residents, businesses, and ecosystems of the Duchy, hereby formally issue this Vote of No Confidence in the management of South West Water (SWW) . We are no longer requesting "improvements" or "consultations. " South West Water has failed for more than a decade to show its capability and willingness to manage our water and sewage system. We are formally petitioning the Government and Ofwat to remove SWW from the management of the Cornish sewage and water systems, and transfer the ownership and management of our sewage and water system to a publicly-owned organisation, run as a public service. Our decision is based on a systemic and catastrophic failure in the following three areas: 1. Failure of Infrastructure and Public Health Despite Cornwall’s residents paying the highest water bills in the UK, our coastline and rivers have become conduits for raw sewage. In 2025 and early 2026, we have witnessed unprecedented spill durations that have closed our beaches, impacted our tourism economy, and posed a direct threat to public health. The current management has proven incapable of maintaining a sewage system fit for the 21st century. 2. Financial Mismanagement and Breach of Public Trust While our constituents face further bill increases this April, SWW continues to prioritise shareholder dividends and executive bonuses over essential capital investment. The "investment plans" touted by the company have repeatedly failed to yield results on the ground, leading to a total breakdown of trust between the utility provider and the Cornish people. 3. Inadequacy of Governance It is the view of these Councils that SWW’s leadership has lost the confidence of the Cornish communities and its "social license" to operate. The repeated fines and enforcement cases from Ofwat have acted as a "cost of doing business" rather than a deterrent. We believe the company is now structurally incapable of delivering the environmental protections required by law. Our Formal Demand: We call upon the Government to intervene and make this situation stop at once, using powers such as those granted by the Water (Special Measures) Act to remove the offending company from operating in Cornwall. We demand that South West Water be placed into Special Administration, stripping the current management of their mandate. We call upon the Government to transition Cornish sewage and water assets into a publicly-owned organisation, run as a public service, answerable to elected representatives of Cornish voters, that will prioritise the Cornish environment and its people over private profit. Cornish rivers and seas are the lifeblood of our economy and our identity. We will no longer stand by while they are managed into decline. We await your urgent response regarding the steps you will take to revoke SWW’s licence in the Duchy. Yours faithfully, St. Agnes Parish Council On behalf of the Collective Councils of Cornwall

FAQs

Who is the letter addressed to and who is issuing it?

It is addressed to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). It is issued by St Agnes Parish Council on behalf of the collective councils of Cornwall.

What are the three main grounds for the no-confidence vote against SWW?

The letter cites (1) failure of infrastructure and public health, (2) financial mismanagement and breach of public trust, and (3) inadequacy of governance.

What does the letter formally demand the Government to do?

It demands intervention to remove SWW from operating in Cornwall, place SWW into Special Administration, revoke its licence, and transition Cornish water and sewage assets into a publicly owned organisation run as a public service.

Sep 17, 2026

Upload by McGucket