Following elections in Spain, in which the return of water into public hands was a big theme, the authorities have followed up, cancelled the water concession and created a public company. The reasons for remunicipalization are familiar: under-investment in infrastructure, high tariffs and lack of democratic control. People are disconnected when they have difficulty paying their bill.
Valladolid joins nearly 200 cities and towns that have gone a similar path. Remunicipalisation delivers more transparency, more involvement, lower prices and more investment. There is no need to exploit to make profits to pay shareholders.
Read more on the Food&Water Europe blog here.
And more on the Right2Water campaign.