Utilities are public services – and should not be run as businesses | Letters
Readers respond to an article by Will Hutton and Andy Haldane suggesting that they could be run for the public benefit Will Hutton and Andy Haldane advocate “turning [utilities] into public-benefit companies with a primary, constitutional objective of delivering high-quality services, with profitability subordinate to that broader aim” ( Andy Burnham talks about ‘public control’ of the utilities…
In response to Will Hutton and Andy Haldane's article advocating for utilities to be restructured as public-benefit companies prioritizing high-quality services over profitability, readers express their disagreement. They argue that utilities should not be managed like businesses but instead treated as essential public services.
The article suggests that these companies possess social and environmental responsibilities alongside economic ones, which must be met. However, the readers contend that business models are ill-suited for achieving these broader objectives.
They recall that prior to the establishment of the Scottish parliament, local government in Scotland effectively managed utilities within a framework of regions and districts. These regions and districts were granted powers and responsibilities to coordinate various functions strategically at the regional level. One such function was the provision of water and sewerage services.
The readers believe that embracing a model similar to this regional approach would better align utilities with their social, environmental, and economic responsibilities.
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