England’s water: is privatised model a fair system?

It is notable that no other country has adopted a fully privatised model of water delivery

• Revealed: more than 70% of English water industry is in foreign ownership
• England's water: the world's piggy bank
• Can global water investors be held to account?
• England's water firms respond to investigation into role of global investors

Water is not like any other commodity. It cannot be manufactured, we all have to have it, and we have no choice about it.

Countries have different arrangements for managing and financing their water and sewerage. Most water systems are in the public sector, including in Scotland and Northern Ireland. However, in England, unlike most other countries, there is a fully privatised water system. The networks of pipes and pumps are almost entirely funded by customer bills - but beyond that we also contribute towards dividends for shareholders.

Kate Bayliss is a research associate with the department of economics at Soas University of London. She has worked extensively on privatisation, financialisation and social equity, in the UK and the global south