“Jaw-dropping” watchdog spending an insult amid sewage scandal

Responding to the rebuke at Parliament of the Water Industry Commission for Scotland by Audit Scotland, after spending was uncovered on gift cards that breached tax and public finance rules, expensive dinners, and a £77,000 Harvard training course for one member of staff, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP said:

“This stinks to high heaven. It is jaw-dropping spending by a body that claims to be a ‘world-leading regulator’ of Scotland’s water and which is supposed to keep Scottish Water in check. The fact that it has been reported to Parliament shows the seriousness of this and why intervention is urgently needed.

“Sewage was dumped at least 14,000 times last year, blighting our rivers and beaches. In the face of that scandal we need watchdogs that are ready and able to raise standards at the government-owned water company.”