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Do you agree with the government's proposal for the future of water and sewerage services? | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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In 1994, the rulingConservative Government of theUnited Kingdom brought forward plans to overhaul a number of aspects of local government inScotland as part of theLocal Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994. Part II of the Act reorganised Scotland's water supply and sewerage services, previously the responsibility of regional councils. Threewater authorities were established: East of Scotland Water; West of Scotland Water; and North of Scotland Water. The main reason for this reorganisation was to prepare for theprivatisation of water services, to bring Scotland into line with the rest of the UK. The water authorities in England and Wales had beenprivatised in 1989. However, public opinion was strongly against such a move, with successive polls showing 86–91% of people definitely opposed.[1]
In March 1994Strathclyde Regional Council held a postalreferendum of Strathclyde residents on whether control of water and sewerage services should be privatised. Seven out of ten voters returned papers, a total of 1.2 million people, of whom 97% voted against privatisation.[2][3][4]
| NO vote | YES vote |
|---|---|
| 1,194,667 | 33,956 |
| NO : 1,194,667(97%) | YES : 33,956(3%) | ||
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| Turnout | Total votes cast |
|---|---|
| 70% | 1,228,623 |
With mounting disagreement with plans the policy was dropped, and the three Scottish Water Authorities were kept in public hands. In 2002 all three were merged to createScottish Water, a publicly owned water authority of theScottish Government in the post-devolution era.
