We are a people-powered alliance of congregations, students and neighbours: St James's Piccadilly, St Martin-in-the-Fields, Bloomsbury Central Baptist Church, St Luke's Hammersmith, and the University of Westminster. We came together at the end of 2025 because Thames Water's failures were affecting people from our communities.

Why we're doing this

We didn't start with a policy position. We started by listening — we had more than 200 conversations with students, congregants and residents. The same things came up again and again: bills rising for no reason anyone could explain, sewage in the rivers our children walk beside, and a company servicing high-interest debt out of its customers' pockets.

In June 2026, the Government rejected London & Valley Water's £10bn rescue deal: not enough for consumers, not enough for the environment. That didn't happen by itself. Campaigns by We Own It, Compass, River Action, Surfers Against Sewage and Sewage Campaign Network piled pressure on the Government. West London Citizens mobilised 80 community leaders and supported people across London to write to their MPs. One hundred MPs then wrote to the Secretary of State urging rejection. On 15 June, the deal was rejected.

In July, the lenders came back — several hundred million pounds more, a "golden share" giving the Government a veto over decisions like mergers, and a bigger role for local authorities. That changes who sits at the table. It doesn't change who pays. The consortium still wants to avoid paying pollution fines for missing environmental targets, while customers continue to pick up the bill for the company's debt through high water bills.

A veto over mergers is not public control of an essential service, and it is not stronger regulation.

So on 28 July we were outside Parliament, delivering our demands to the new Secretary of State, Dame Angela Eagle MP. Thames Water has warned it could run out of cash by November. We're now expecting a decision to come soon.

• November 2025 — Action at DEFRA HQ with Compass, River Action and Surfers Against Sewage. Read the coverage → · Compass on Instagram →
• March 2026 — Westminster Citizens Pre-Election Assembly; 32 leaders wrote to 24 MPs. Three Assemblies, One Story →
• June 2026 — The first creditor offer is rejected.
• July 2026 — Climate Champions school assembly and river walk. Children turn anger into art →
• 28 Jul 2026 — Action at Parliament; our letter delivered to Dame Angela Eagle MP. See the action →

Reject the lenders' revised offer. Meet us, and hear directly from the communities Thames Water has failed. And guarantee five commitments for the future of water:

1.Bring water into public ownership with democratic accountability

Establish local representation and public oversight through accountable boards that include community, environmental and customer voices.

2. Guarantee clean water and binding environmental targets

Commit to environmental targets with clear timelines and meaningful penalties for failure.

3. Invest money from customer bills in the water system, not shareholder profit

Ensure revenue from bills is reinvested in maintaining, monitoring and upgrading the water system.

4. Deliver affordable water for everyone

Guarantee access to affordable water through fair pricing, stronger social tariffs and protection for households facing financial hardship.

5. Build a resilient, net-zero water system

Invest in the infrastructure, technology and adaptation needed to meet Net Zero commitments.

Create a water system that is resilient to drought, flooding and the impacts of climate change.

Every deal should be measured against these five tests. This one fails them.

We're door-knocking, recruiting new organisations, and pressing for a meeting with Dame Angela Eagle.

We are currently listening to communities and supporting the Sewage Campaign Network to share evidence with the UK Parliament’s Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Committee, which has been holding a major ongoing inquiry into reforming the water sector
In February 2027, we will gather at St Martin-in-the-Fields for The Future of Water, with communities of all faiths and none, building the campaign for the future of water.

Write to your MP — today. It should take two minutes, and we know it works: 100 MPs wrote to the Secretary of State in June because people like you asked them to, and the offer fell. Write to your MP using our suggested template.

(Your name & address or your organisation) [Date]Dear [MP’s Name],I am writing to ask for your support regarding the urgent situation with Thames Water and the need for meaningful reform of our water system. Across London, communities are facing rising bills, chronic leaks, and rivers polluted with sewage. Thames Water, as a privatised monopoly, has consistently prioritised shareholder profit over the public good, while billions of pounds have flowed out of the system instead of being invested in infrastructure and safe, clean water.
(Optional personalisation – has this MP complained before about Thames or Water? if so acknowledge/thank them for this )
West London Citizens and its partner organisations — including faith groups, schools, universities, and campaign groups such as Compass, River Action, Surfers Against Sewage, and 38 Degrees — are calling for urgent action to protect communities, the environment, and the public interest. I am asking that you write to Dame Angela Eagle MP, Secretary of State for DEFRA, to:

1. Encourage her to meet with West London Citizens to hear directly how water insecurity, rising bills, and environmental harm are affecting their lives.
2. Urge her to take immediate steps to consider moving Thames Water into the Special Administration Regime (SAR), providing public oversight while protecting essential services.

I believe that such a meeting would allow citizens to share their experiences, highlight the urgent need for investment, and help ensure that future ownership of water is accountable, sustainable, and in the public interest. Thank you for supporting your constituents in this matter. I would be happy to provide further information or coordinate follow-up discussions. Yours sincerely, [Your Name]Either send in a personal capacity as a constituent of your MP, in which case include your home address. Or send on behalf of your organisation stating that you are Part of West London Citizens Email:(your email & ) Lucy.Gardner@citizensuk.org