Water bill rises will begin from April (Image: Getty)
The boss of Southern Water has defended his ￡180,000 bonus despite plans to hike customers' bills by 85%.
Southern Water, which serves Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Kent, and East and West Sussex, plans to increase bills by more than any other UK water company over the next five years.
by Taboola by Taboola
Sponsored Link Sponsored Link
Promoted Links Promoted Links
Join the Singapore Quickfire challenge: Precision ImmunologyJohnson & Johnson Learn More
Undo
DON'T MISS
Powered by
China's richest man dropped out of school and lost $4billion in a day
4 Comments
Africa's incredible ￡1bn deep sea port 'set to generate ￡164bn'
2 Comments
HMRC bill can be avoided with ￡25,000 tax-free account - but check rules first
Comments
The world's most expensive home worth ￡3.6bn - 27 storeys with cinema and snow room
6 Comments
The huge new ￡55m plan to transform world famous UK city loved by tourists
Comments
Man Utd legend Bryan Robson faces huge tax bill after 'disguised employee' HMRC ruling
2 Comments
Rachel Reeves humiliated as she heads to Davos despite being snubbed for crucial speech
95 Comments
HMRC issues alert to anyone who creates online content
2 Comments
The world's richest family worth ￡250bn - more than the Kardashians and royals combined
8 Comments
Martin Lewis urges UK households to use ‘bedroom rule' to avoid ￡86 bill hike
2 Comments
Warning drivers could miss out on ￡30bn compensation after Rachel Reeves wades in
294 Comments
Russian economic meltdown as thousands 'to be laid off' in banking and energy sectors
53 Comments
￡2billion pay day bonanza after military homes sold back to Government
7 Comments
Pension warning over ￡50bn-a-year industry as experts warn buyouts 'not always the answer'
Comments
Motorcyclist dies in hospital after Woodlands accidentThe Straits Times
Undo
by Taboola by Taboola
Sponsored Links Sponsored Links
Promoted Links Promoted Links
Rachel Reeves faces fury as Treasury eyes river fund for finance boost
33 Comments
Santander customers issued huge warning as bank set to 'quit UK'
215 Comments
Taylor Swift Is Photographed Without Makeup, This Is How She Really Looks.The Noodle Box
Undo
by Taboola by Taboola
Sponsored Links Sponsored Links
Promoted Links Promoted Links
Plans for ￡2.5bn 'UK Disneyland' finally scrapped over damning ￡100m debts
Comments
Rachel Reeves told to 'pause' farm tax as supermarkets warn 'security at stake'
26 Comments
Switch and enjoy Golden Savings of up to $158!Geneco SG Learn More
Undo
by Taboola by Taboola
Sponsored Links Sponsored Links
Promoted Links Promoted Links
High street fashion brand Quiz could close 'a third' of UK stores - full list at risk
Comments
The 'world's richest' prisoner who was once worth massive ￡21.6bn and jailed for 25 years
4 Comments
Goodbye 'Pawn Stars'; Chumlee Pleads GuiltyBeach Raider
Undo
by Taboola by Taboola
Sponsored Links Sponsored Links
Promoted Links Promoted Links
China's richest man dropped out of school and lost $4billion in a day
4 Comments
Africa's incredible ￡1bn deep sea port 'set to generate ￡164bn'
2 Comments
New In Singapore: Rubber Floor Tiles - Effortless Installation!Tiles | Search Ads Search Now
Undo
by Taboola by Taboola
Sponsored Links Sponsored Links
Promoted Links Promoted Links
HMRC bill can be avoided with ￡25,000 tax-free account - but check rules first
Comments
The world's most expensive home worth ￡3.6bn - 27 storeys with cinema and snow room
6 Comments
The world’s biggest city also has some of its smallest homes. How small?CNA Money Mind Watch Now
Undo
by Taboola by Taboola
Sponsored Links Sponsored Links
Promoted Links Promoted Links
The huge new ￡55m plan to transform world famous UK city loved by tourists
Comments
Man Utd legend Bryan Robson faces huge tax bill after 'disguised employee' HMRC ruling
2 Comments
Affordable Dental Implants in Singapore: Best Offers for 2025Local Plan Learn More
Undo
by Taboola by Taboola
Sponsored Links Sponsored Links
Promoted Links Promoted Links
Rachel Reeves humiliated as she heads to Davos despite being snubbed for crucial speech
95 Comments
HMRC issues alert to anyone who creates online content
2 Comments
Huge Fridge Discounts in Singapore – See Prices Now!Local Plan Learn More
Undo
by Taboola by Taboola
Sponsored Links Sponsored Links
Promoted Links Promoted Links
The world's richest family worth ￡250bn - more than the Kardashians and royals combined
8 Comments
Martin Lewis urges UK households to use ‘bedroom rule' to avoid ￡86 bill hike
2 Comments
Curious about your car’s worth? Check the online resale calculatorBioblog - Cars Value Click Here
Undo
by Taboola by Taboola
Sponsored Links Sponsored Links
Promoted Links Promoted Links
Warning drivers could miss out on ￡30bn compensation after Rachel Reeves wades in
294 Comments
Russian economic meltdown as thousands 'to be laid off' in banking and energy sectors
53 Comments
Discover Beautiful And Single Women In Singapore Without RegistrationOnline Dating | Search Ads Search Now
Undo
by Taboola by Taboola
Sponsored Links Sponsored Links
Promoted Links Promoted Links
￡2billion pay day bonanza after military homes sold back to Government
7 Comments
Pension warning over ￡50bn-a-year industry as experts warn buyouts 'not always the answer'
Comments
Rachel Reeves faces fury as Treasury eyes river fund for finance boost
33 Comments
Santander customers issued huge warning as bank set to 'quit UK'
215 Comments
Plans for ￡2.5bn 'UK Disneyland' finally scrapped over damning ￡100m debts
Comments
Rachel Reeves told to 'pause' farm tax as supermarkets warn 'security at stake'
26 Comments
High street fashion brand Quiz could close 'a third' of UK stores - full list at risk
Comments
The 'world's richest' prisoner who was once worth massive ￡21.6bn and jailed for 25 years
4 Comments
China's richest man dropped out of school and lost $4billion in a day
4 Comments
Africa's incredible ￡1bn deep sea port 'set to generate ￡164bn'
2 Comments
HMRC bill can be avoided with ￡25,000 tax-free account - but check rules first
Comments
The world's most expensive home worth ￡3.6bn - 27 storeys with cinema and snow room
6 Comments
The huge new ￡55m plan to transform world famous UK city loved by tourists
Comments
Man Utd legend Bryan Robson faces huge tax bill after 'disguised employee' HMRC ruling
2 Comments
Rachel Reeves humiliated as she heads to Davos despite being snubbed for crucial speech
95 Comments
It comes after recent anger over a major water outage for customers just before Christmas, a record ￡90million fine in 2021 for dumping raw sewage into the sea, and a ￡183,600 bonus for chief executive Laurence Gosden.
The embattled CEO told Tuesday's Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee that the bill increase "relates simply to geography" because the South-east of England is water-stressed.
And he argued that the ￡183,000 bonus he received in July was deserved because water quality – previously the worst in the country – had improved.
Sponsored
Body Design News Learn More
42-year-old woman changed drastically in a few months! This at Watsons too effective
Undo
by Taboola by Taboola
Get the latest politics news straight to your phone Join us on WhatsApp Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. Read our Privacy Policy
Mr Gosden said: “In relation to bonuses, I've been chief executive for two full years and I'm part way through my third.
“For my first year I declined a bonus, because it was complete, it was just not right that I took a bonus in a year when the water network was coming under such scrutiny and public concern and anger was at such a high level.
“In my second year the majority of the bonus was disallowed. And you are right, I did take a bonus related to water quality improvements and safety improvements only.
“That was because our bonus scheme is directly related to the performance improvement of the turnaround plan.
“We did move from bottom of the industry for water quality through to just outside the upper quartile of the industry in one year. So it was related to that.”
Trending
It comes amid public outrage over sewage spills into the nation’s waterways and massive dividends taken by shareholders.
Water companies paid ￡2.5billion in dividends and added ￡8.2billion to their net debt between 2021 and 2023.
Mr Gosden also claimed utilities had suffered from 10 to 15 years of “flat bills”.
He added: “That means that we have very large forward investment plans for water resources.
"There's a very large water resources [requirement] to safeguard this part of the country from climate change and that is on top of a very significant environmental improvement and investment programme to redesign sewer systems.
"Effectively there is double the impact of investment in this part of the country because of the geography of the region."
The bill rises for England and Wales, averaging ￡31 a year, would begin to take effect from April.
DON'T MISS
Powered by
China's richest man dropped out of school and lost $4billion in a day
4 Comments
Africa's incredible ￡1bn deep sea port 'set to generate ￡164bn'
2 Comments
HMRC bill can be avoided with ￡25,000 tax-free account - but check rules first
Comments
The world's most expensive home worth ￡3.6bn - 27 storeys with cinema and snow room
6 Comments
The huge new ￡55m plan to transform world famous UK city loved by tourists
Comments
Man Utd legend Bryan Robson faces huge tax bill after 'disguised employee' HMRC ruling
2 Comments
Rachel Reeves humiliated as she heads to Davos despite being snubbed for crucial speech
95 Comments
HMRC issues alert to anyone who creates online content
2 Comments
The world's richest family worth ￡250bn - more than the Kardashians and royals combined
8 Comments
Martin Lewis urges UK households to use ‘bedroom rule' to avoid ￡86 bill hike
2 Comments
Warning drivers could miss out on ￡30bn compensation after Rachel Reeves wades in
294 Comments
Russian economic meltdown as thousands 'to be laid off' in banking and energy sectors
53 Comments
￡2billion pay day bonanza after military homes sold back to Government
7 Comments
Pension warning over ￡50bn-a-year industry as experts warn buyouts 'not always the answer'
Comments
Seniors in Singapore: New Small Electric Cars at Unbelievable Prices!Electric cars | Search ads Click Here
Undo
by Taboola by Taboola
Sponsored Links Sponsored Links
Promoted Links Promoted Links
Rachel Reeves faces fury as Treasury eyes river fund for finance boost
33 Comments
Santander customers issued huge warning as bank set to 'quit UK'
215 Comments
Cardiologists: How to Quickly Lose a Hanging TummyHealth Wellness Journal Watch Now
Undo
by Taboola by Taboola
Sponsored Links Sponsored Links
Promoted Links Promoted Links
Plans for ￡2.5bn 'UK Disneyland' finally scrapped over damning ￡100m debts
Comments
Rachel Reeves told to 'pause' farm tax as supermarkets warn 'security at stake'
26 Comments
Rubber Floor Tiles Without Glue In Singapore - The Latest Trend!Tiles | Search Ads Search Now
Undo
by Taboola by Taboola
Sponsored Links Sponsored Links
Promoted Links Promoted Links
High street fashion brand Quiz could close 'a third' of UK stores - full list at risk
Comments
The 'world's richest' prisoner who was once worth massive ￡21.6bn and jailed for 25 years
4 Comments
Jail for man who lured around 50 women, teens for photo shoots and filmed intimate videos of themThe Straits Times
Undo
by Taboola by Taboola
Sponsored Links Sponsored Links
Promoted Links Promoted Links
China's richest man dropped out of school and lost $4billion in a day
4 Comments
Africa's incredible ￡1bn deep sea port 'set to generate ￡164bn'
2 Comments
Goodbye, thinning hair. Hello, full hair! Trying this from Watsons.Hair’s Rich Learn More
Undo
by Taboola by Taboola
Sponsored Links Sponsored Links
Promoted Links Promoted Links
HMRC bill can be avoided with ￡25,000 tax-free account - but check rules first
Comments
The world's most expensive home worth ￡3.6bn - 27 storeys with cinema and snow room
6 Comments
Doctors recommended: "Explosive Hair Gel-Bestseller at Watsons"Hair’s Rich Learn More
Undo
by Taboola by Taboola
Sponsored Links Sponsored Links
Promoted Links Promoted Links
The huge new ￡55m plan to transform world famous UK city loved by tourists
Comments
Man Utd legend Bryan Robson faces huge tax bill after 'disguised employee' HMRC ruling
2 Comments
Blepharoplasty can now be performed without surgeryBlepharoplasty Without Surgery | Search Ads Learn More
Undo
by Taboola by Taboola
Sponsored Links Sponsored Links
Promoted Links Promoted Links
Rachel Reeves humiliated as she heads to Davos despite being snubbed for crucial speech
95 Comments
HMRC issues alert to anyone who creates online content
2 Comments
Upper Blepharoplasty Can Make You Look Younger (Check it Out)Blepharoplasty Without Surgery | Search Ads Learn More
Undo
by Taboola by Taboola
Sponsored Links Sponsored Links
Promoted Links Promoted Links
The world's richest family worth ￡250bn - more than the Kardashians and royals combined
8 Comments
Martin Lewis urges UK households to use ‘bedroom rule' to avoid ￡86 bill hike
2 Comments
？？？？？？？: ？？？？？？？？？？？ ？？？？？ ？？？？？？？？？ ？？？？？？ ？？？？？？？ ？？？？？？？？？？？？？？？？, ？？？？？？？ ？？？？？？？？？ - ？？？？？ ？？？？？ World News in Tamil, Tamil Murasu？？？？？ ？？？？？ Read More
Undo
by Taboola by Taboola
Sponsored Links Sponsored Links
Promoted Links Promoted Links
Warning drivers could miss out on ￡30bn compensation after Rachel Reeves wades in
294 Comments
Russian economic meltdown as thousands 'to be laid off' in banking and energy sectors
53 Comments
？？？？？？？？？？？？？？？ ？？？？？？？？？？？？？？ ？？？？？？？？？？？ ？？？？？？？？？？？ ？？？？？？ ？？？？？, ？？？？？？？？？？？？ ？？？？？？？？？ - ？？？？？ ？？？？？ Cinema News in Tamil, Tamil Murasu？？？？？ ？？？？？ Read More
Undo
by Taboola by Taboola
Sponsored Links Sponsored Links
Promoted Links Promoted Links
￡2billion pay day bonanza after military homes sold back to Government
7 Comments
Pension warning over ￡50bn-a-year industry as experts warn buyouts 'not always the answer'
Comments
Rachel Reeves faces fury as Treasury eyes river fund for finance boost
33 Comments
Santander customers issued huge warning as bank set to 'quit UK'
215 Comments
Plans for ￡2.5bn 'UK Disneyland' finally scrapped over damning ￡100m debts
Comments
Rachel Reeves told to 'pause' farm tax as supermarkets warn 'security at stake'
26 Comments
High street fashion brand Quiz could close 'a third' of UK stores - full list at risk
Comments
The 'world's richest' prisoner who was once worth massive ￡21.6bn and jailed for 25 years
4 Comments
China's richest man dropped out of school and lost $4billion in a day
4 Comments
Africa's incredible ￡1bn deep sea port 'set to generate ￡164bn'
2 Comments
HMRC bill can be avoided with ￡25,000 tax-free account - but check rules first
Comments
The world's most expensive home worth ￡3.6bn - 27 storeys with cinema and snow room
6 Comments
The huge new ￡55m plan to transform world famous UK city loved by tourists
Comments
Man Utd legend Bryan Robson faces huge tax bill after 'disguised employee' HMRC ruling
2 Comments
Rachel Reeves humiliated as she heads to Davos despite being snubbed for crucial speech
95 Comments
Celebrate SG60SG60
Undo
by Taboola by Taboola
Sponsored Links Sponsored Links
Promoted Links Promoted Links
What’s my real car worth? Online Calculator for Car ResaleBioblog - Cars Value
Undo
by Taboola by Taboola
Sponsored Links Sponsored Links
Promoted Links Promoted Links
Vote For The Best SG60 DesignSG60
Undo
by Taboola by Taboola
Sponsored Links Sponsored Links
Promoted Links Promoted Links
Cardiologists Reveals: How She Used This To Lose All Her Body FatHealth Wellness Journal
Undo
by Taboola by Taboola
Sponsored Links Sponsored Links
Promoted Links Promoted Links
SUBSCRIBE Invalid email
We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. Read our Privacy Policy
Mike Keil, from the Consumer Council for Water, said water companies “need to be better at reading the room” as he described public anger over pay and bonuses.
He warned a million households would be in water poverty with rising bills.
Water UK’s chief executive David Henderson told MPs that poor performance was down to not having “sufficient funds to invest” in the face of growing challenges from climate change and increased water demand, as regulator Ofwat kept down bills.