Midlothian-where modern political campaigns began
MINISTERS have been told that their insistence on keeping Scottish Water in public ownership is hampering the company’s efforts to fix the country’s antiquated pipe network.
Water companies in England have been privatised, allowing them to raise investment funds privately. In his memo to Swinney in 2009, the then chairman of the Water Industry Commission for Scotland urges Swinney to reform the company, possibly as an arms-length operation, which would allow it to pay for investment by borrowing from the financial markets, thereby freeing up tens of millions of pounds to spend on roads, hospitals and schools.