"Energy bills could rise to cover consumer debts"

[Borin' Baggie]

First thing the next Labour government need to do is fix the public utility regulators. Ofgem and Ofwat are not fit for purpose.

[CaptainFantastico]

Or Ofsted.

[Derek Hardballs]

Or Ofcom.

[Tom Joad]

Money for jam, the crooks. Over the years I've had a few customers go bump then not pay me. Guess what happened? Nothing.  Guess what didn't happen? Me putting my rates up for everyone else that did pay.  These, and some other utilities, should be taken into public control.

If you took these utilities into public control it wouldn't make any difference to the rest of us covering private debts. In fact, in all likelihood it'd get worse.

Except there wouldn't have been dividends paid out to shareholders.

[Protheroe]

Money for jam, the crooks. Over the years I've had a few customers go bump then not pay me. Guess what happened? Nothing.  Guess what didn't happen? Me putting my rates up for everyone else that did pay.  These, and some other utilities, should be taken into public control.

If you took these utilities into public control it wouldn't make any difference to the rest of us covering private debts. In fact, in all likelihood it'd get worse.

Except there wouldn't have been dividends paid out to shareholders.

And prices might be higher and profits may be non existent. The public sector doesn't exactly have a great record at running enterprises profitably. At least those of us with a pension fund (most of us) will have benefitted.

[Tom Joad]

Money for jam, the crooks. Over the years I've had a few customers go bump then not pay me. Guess what happened? Nothing.  Guess what didn't happen? Me putting my rates up for everyone else that did pay.  These, and some other utilities, should be taken into public control.

If you took these utilities into public control it wouldn't make any difference to the rest of us covering private debts. In fact, in all likelihood it'd get worse.

Except there wouldn't have been dividends paid out to shareholders.

And prices might be higher and profits may be non existent. The public sector doesn't exactly have a great record at running enterprises profitably. At least those of us with a pension fund (most of us) will have benefitted.

Well I suppose I overlooked all the benefits of privatisation. I must check how the water companies are getting on.

[CaptainFantastico]

Money for jam, the crooks. Over the years I've had a few customers go bump then not pay me. Guess what happened? Nothing.  Guess what didn't happen? Me putting my rates up for everyone else that did pay.  These, and some other utilities, should be taken into public control.

If you took these utilities into public control it wouldn't make any difference to the rest of us covering private debts. In fact, in all likelihood it'd get worse.

Except there wouldn't have been dividends paid out to shareholders.

And prices might be higher and profits may be non existent. The public sector doesn't exactly have a great record at running enterprises profitably. At least those of us with a pension fund (most of us) will have benefitted.

Or, based on this, does the private sector. I'd far rather know where the wastage is going than where it is going currently

[Protheroe]

Well I suppose I overlooked all the benefits of privatisation. I must check how the water companies are getting on.

Privatised utilities are far from perfect. Regulation has been cumbersome and ineffective.

However the management of the utilities is a world away from the overstaffed, over-unionised, resource sucking behemoths of the past.

By far the best example is telecommunications which in real terms are cheaper than ever, and in service terms are some of the most responsive businesses there are. Openreach's issues are, again, a product of poor regulation.

[Derek Hardballs]

Well I suppose I overlooked all the benefits of privatisation. I must check how the water companies are getting on.

Privatised utilities are far from perfect. Regulation has been cumbersome and ineffective.

However the management of the utilities is a world away from the overstaffed, over-unionised, resource sucking behemoths of the past.

By far the best example is telecommunications which in real terms are cheaper than ever, and in service terms are some of the most responsive businesses there are. Openreach's issues are, again, a product of poor regulation.

Judging what publicly owned water, energy companies would be like by pointing to what happened 30,40 odd years ago is a bit of a weak argument. Since then water companies have become monopolies, they have consistently prioritised profit and shareholders over investment in infrastructure, similarly that is the priority of the energy companies as well. When profit is put before people with key services, infrastructure always comes second and prices rise whilst service is at best average at worst shocking. 

Energy and water are key to a country to put them in the hands of investors only interested in profit isn’t patriotic, leaves the country vulnerable and has just seen prices rise without any improvements in services.

[Borin' Baggie]

Well I suppose I overlooked all the benefits of privatisation. I must check how the water companies are getting on.

Privatised utilities are far from perfect. Regulation has been cumbersome and ineffective.

However the management of the utilities is a world away from the overstaffed, over-unionised, resource sucking behemoths of the past.

By far the best example is telecommunications which in real terms are cheaper than ever, and in service terms are some of the most responsive businesses there are. Openreach's issues are, again, a product of poor regulation.

Telecoms are the worst example as their infrastructure privatisation put off fibre rollout by 40 years. Openreach should never have been privatised, BT by all means to introduce competition in the delivery sector but not Openreach.

As for water and sewage, all evidence suggests that the only successful management was when they were municipally managed pre-WWII along with a lot of other civic projects. Consolidated nationalisation failed but so has privatisation.