MPs demand urgent answers over secret payouts to Yorkshire Water CEO

A contingent of Yorkshire MPs, including Penistone and Stocksbridge MP, Marie Tidball, have written to Yorkshire Water Chair, Vanda Murray, demanding urgent answers, after it has emerged that CEO Nicola Shaw received millions in previously undisclosed payments via an offshore parent company. Ms. Shaw has repeatedly pledged in public that she would refuse bonuses based on the poor performance of Yorkshire Water. 

The article revealing the payments, first reported by The Guardian, shows that Ms. Shaw received £1.7 million in 2023 and £1.3 million in 2024 through Kelda Holdings, the Guernsey-registered parent company of Yorkshire Water. This is in addition to her £660,000 annual salary. 

The MPs have described the payments as “disgraceful” and “a betrayal of public trust,” particularly given Yorkshire Water’s ongoing poor performance, including a tripling  of serious pollution incidents from 2023 to 2024 for which customers are footing the bill with a huge 41% increase in their water bills. 

Marie Tidball MP, Member of Parliament for Penistone and Stocksbridge, said: 

“This bonus is totally unacceptable, and I'm glad to hear that Ofwat are looking into this as a matter of urgency. 

“After 14 years of the Conservatives applying a light touch to water company regulation, I am glad that our Labour Government will leave no stone unturned in clawing back any payments if found to be against the rules. We have already banned undeserving water company bosses from getting bonuses as part of our plan to clean up our rivers, lakes and seas for good.  

“Any instances of companies trying to circumvent the new rules are completely unacceptable, and I will ensure that Yorkshire Water and their owners are held accountable for any violations.” 

In the letter to Vanda Murray, the MPs call for full transparency and pose a series of detailed questions, including: 

• Why was the CEO paid £1.3 million in addition to her salary?
• Why is Yorkshire Water’s parent company based offshore?
• Are these payments an indirect substitute for bonuses Ms. Shaw publicly declined?

Yorkshire Water has previously cited shareholder investment and “critical work” as justification for the payments. However, the letter to Ms. Murray argues that this undermines any work that the company must do in rebuilding public trust. 

The MPs are calling on Yorkshire Water to: 

• Disclose all executive payments made via Kelda Holdings since 2022
• Explain the role of the CEO in the parent company
• Justify why this structure is not a breach of public trust and regulatory intent