Dear Editor
Power cuts remind us of the need for infrastructure investment
The power cuts experienced by 860 properties in the Crediton area just after Christmas remind us how important our infrastructure is.
The shocking truth is that much of the United Kingdom’s infrastructure is ‘not fit for purpose’. The most glaring examples are our water industries and roads.
The water companies have borrowed £ billions which seems to have gone on supporting shareholders’ dividend payments rather than improving sewage treatment and reservoirs. After one of the wettest winters I can remember, we are told hose pipe bans are already being considered!
Potholes in Devon have now achieved almost joke status they are so widespread and failing to be remedied. With £170 million backlog of repairs the recent £6.6 million ‘gifted’ by the Conservative Government from HS2 savings will literally not scratch the surface.
These are areas that have been underinvested in for years. Perhaps most concerning, however, is our electricity national grid. If we are to reach the UK’s net zero targets, where our energy requirements are largely met by electricity, it is projected that the National Grid will need to double in size.
This is a huge project of a scale that requires oversight and investment at a national level. This is not a project that can be left in the hands of private companies where short-term profit is the focus rather than long term public good. We need a new government that sees investment in infrastructure as a way to grow our economy, rather than it being a hindrance to tax cutting.
Your sincerely,
Mark Wooding
Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate Central Devon
Nymet Rowland EX17
