Boss of Anglian Water trousers £8 million as bills rocket

Peter Simpson shouting at a photographer who wasn't wearing PPE, yesterday

Anglian Water CEO took home almost £1.5 million in 2017

PETER Simpson, CEO of Anglian Water has received a whopping £8 million in salary, bonuses, pensions and other benefits over the past five years.

The CEO of the private water company took home 1.5 million in 2017 alone – eight times more than the prime minister and a 62 per cent increase from 2013.

The figures come from a joint investigation into company accounts by water industry union GMB and Corporate Watch revealed at GMB’s 101st Congress in Brighton this week.

While water bosses pocket huge sums, consumer water bills in England and Wales have increased by 40 per cent above inflation since privatisation in 1989, according to a report by the National Audit Office.

In a watery pun-laden press release, Tim Roache, GMB general secretary, said, “It is a national scandal over the last five years England’s hard-pressed water customers have been forced to splash millions through their bills to go into the pockets of just nine individuals [bosses of the other eight water companies receive similar remuneration].

“GMB is urging people and politicians to Take Back the Tap and make our water services work for the many and not the few. Privatisation of the water industry has been a costly mistake and these eye-watering sums are further proof the water industry must be returned to public hands.”

Although we suspect it might trickle through our fingers. Meanwhile, at Peterboroughbusiness.co.uk we debated whether or not the prime minister should be used as a benchmark for salaries. Yes, it’s an important job but some might say Peter Simpson is doing his job very well; something called Glassdoor said he was the best CEO in Britain last year. The other thing we debated was the use of the verb “to trouser”. We decided it probably isn’t sexist. That’s alright then.