Keighley and Ilkley MP Robbie Moore has written to Yorkshire Water demanding answers following revelations that the company's Chief Executive Nicola Shaw received significant additional payments from Kelda Holdings, Yorkshire Water’s parent company.
The company’s Chief Executive received over £1.6 million in 2023–24, including hidden payments through Kelda Holdings, the company’s offshore parent.
In his letter, Mr Moore branded the revelations “fundamentally deceptive,” raising concerns that payments through Kelda Holdings appeared to side-step rules designed to prevent unjustified bonuses being paid out of customer bills.
In his letter, Mr Moore, who previously served as Minister for Water, has said:
“During my time as Minister for Water under the previous administration, I was proud to introduce changes that prevented bill payers from paying executive bonuses where they were not justified.
However, financial records for both 2023–24 and 2024–25 show significant remuneration for Ms Shaw, including additional payments from Kelda Holdings. These payments were not disclosed upfront, which further adds to public feeling that executives at Yorkshire Water are wilfully hiding their true remuneration.”
The Keighley & Ilkley MP also highlighted comments made by Nicola Shaw in May 2023 when she told the public she would refuse any bonus in light of Yorkshire Water’s sewage pollution record:
“This appears fundamentally deceptive, especially when a bonus is subsequently obtained through a parent company – apparently side-stepping these regulatory changes – and when the ongoing challenges facing Yorkshire Water are not seen to be being addressed. It should not have taken an investigation by the media to bring these payments into public view.”
Mr Moore has demanded that Yorkshire Water:
• Publish in full all remuneration received by senior executives, including payments from parent companies.
• Commit to a transparent process for setting executive pay.
• Provide evidence to customers that regulations on pay and bonuses are being followed.
Earlier this month, the government asked the water regulator Ofwat to carry out an urgent review into £1.3m in payments to the boss of Yorkshire Water.
