Kent MP and Danny Dyer hand 316,000-signature water ownership petition to Downing Street
Petition calls for the water industry to return to public hands
A petition signed by more than 316,000 people calling for the water industry to be returned to public ownership has been handed in at 10 Downing Street.
Sittingbourne and Sheppey MP Kevin McKenna joined actor and campaigner Danny Dyer to deliver it this lunchtime.
The petition, Return the Water Industry to Public Ownership, was started by Ed Acteson and is backed by Dyer.
It is hosted on Change.org and calls for water services to be run in the public interest.
It also calls for revenue to be reinvested in infrastructure, pollution prevention and environmental protection.
The hand-in comes two weeks after the Prime Minister told the Labour Party Conference he would tear up what he described as Margaret Thatcher's ideological ban on public ownership of water companies.
He also warned that failing companies could face consequences, including taking back control or public ownership.
Kevin McKenna said: "Sheppey is an island, and our children can't swim in the sea around it. That's a disgrace."
He added: "The Prime Minister has promised to tear up Margaret Thatcher's ideological ban on public ownership of water companies. Now let's finish the job: water should belong to the public, not to shareholders."
Why the issue matters on Sheppey
McKenna's office said it regularly hears from constituents concerned about rising water bills, persistent leaks, sewage discharges and water shortages.
It said the impact is particularly stark on the Isle of Sheppey, where clean water and a healthy coastline are vital to public health, local wildlife and the tourism businesses and jobs that depend on the island's beaches.
Local campaigners, including those involved with SOS Whitstable, have called for public ownership and sustained investment in the pipes, treatment works and pollution prevention measures needed to protect communities and the environment.
They argue that water services must put public health and environmental protection ahead of shareholder returns, with transparent decision-making and accountability to the public.
September protest in Leysdown
The Downing Street hand-in follows the Stop the Sewage protest organised by SOS Whitstable in Leysdown-on-Sea on Sunday 20th September 2026, in support of the petition.
The protest brought together campaigners calling for urgent action on sewage pollution, greater protection for the coastline and a change in how the water industry is owned and run.
Danny Dyer spoke at the protest about his concerns over seawater quality.
He said: "It's a very, very dangerous thing. Our children should be allowed to get in the sea, and we should be able to get in the sea."
Other speakers included Dani Dyer and singer Becky Hill.
They were joined by Cliff Roney, a GMB activist and former water worker with more than 40 years' experience in the industry, and Ash Smith, founder of Windrush Against Sewage Pollution.
Campaigner Julie Maughan also spoke.
Campaigners called for permanent public ownership of the water industry, with revenue reinvested in infrastructure and pollution prevention.
They also called for environmental protection and public health to take priority over shareholder returns, for water workers' jobs and pensions to be protected, and for a transparent service accountable to the public.
What the Government has promised
In his speech on 29th September, the Prime Minister announced plans to repeal the legal restrictions on public ownership of water companies.
The accompanying Government statement sets out proposals to remove restrictions on government shareholdings in major English water companies.
It says this would give ministers greater flexibility over potential interventions and ownership models, while retaining a role for private investment.
The Prime Minister has also promised a 10-year transformation plan, stronger accountability powers for mayors and tighter restrictions on bonuses.
Campaigners are calling for the Government to go further and commit to permanent public ownership of the water industry.
They want revenue reinvested in infrastructure, cleaner waterways and pollution prevention.