As we head into the colder months, there will be an increased demand for public services including buses, trains and water. Our dependence on these services has left many wondering, what will the future of these services look like?  

Since Margaret Thatcher privatised these public services in the 1980s, the effectiveness of these services has noticeably decreased and it is widely thought that the companies that maintain them, do not have the country’s best interest at heart. Instead, the shareholders of these companies are prioritised, which has led to companies monopolizing on rising bills to support their investors. In so doing, there has been a lack of reinvestment and is perhaps the reason why performance has been on a continuous decline.  

Labour’s Secretary of State for Transport, Louise Haigh, has stated that the privatisation of the bus service has meant that operators have been allowed to pick and choose routes and services that prioritises profitability as opposed to its passengers. Labour has pledged to remove the ban of publicly owned bus companies and has since extended the £2 bus fare cap until December. The move would mean that all local transport authorities would be eligible to run their own bus services. 

For train services, Labour have come up with various transformations in the aim of creating a secure and more reliable service for passengers to use. The government has said that a new public body, Great British Railways, will inherit the existing contracts when they expire and take responsibility for running services. It will oversee the rail system across England, Wales and Scotland and continue to lease rolling stock (train carriages) from companies. The first operator contracts to be renationalised could be Greater Anglia and West Midlands in September 2026. In addition, the government has promised a “best fare guarantee” which will ensure people are always paying the lowest fare for their journey.  

The Conservatives have responded, questioning where Labour will get the funding for these improvements. On the surface, the plans seem as though public transport will become cheaper, but the Tories have hinted that, yet again, the taxpayers will be targeted to subsidise.  

The privatisation of the water system across the country is believed to be an absolute disaster in some places. With investments down by 15% since it was first privatised, water companies have totally disregarded the correct disposal of foul water in recent years, which has led to the pumping of sewage into rivers. Not only does it risk wildlife and human health, but earlier this year, it led to an infectious parasite which broke out in Devon. Southwest Water, as a consequence, was forced to hand out bottled water to mile-long queues of frustrated residents. 

The Environment Secretary, Steve Reed, has stated that nationalising would cost “billions of pounds” and would not solve the sewage crisis. The government are deciding if they need to put failing water companies into what Reed calls “special administration” and the minister has since been gathering investors in the hope of propping up failing companies. However, for now, the problem remains unsolved, with companies failing after finding themselves in vast amounts of debt.   

It is clear that the Labour government have been left to pick up the pieces of a failed privatisation under the Conservative government. Along with the predicament of trying to meet in the middle of protecting both the households and waterways or shareholders, Labours most fundamental issue will be how they fund this task. The nationalisation of the rail and bus network is set to cost billions, but for the first time in years, it could be that those using the services will be prioritised.

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