News that Susan Davy is stepping down as CEO of South West Water and its owner Pennon Group marks a sobering moment. Many in our community, from Pentewan Valley to Towan Head, will be asking: Can a change in leadership help clean up our water and restore public trust?

No doubt everyone has their two cents on this most important of matters in our beautiful constituency, which stretches across two Cornish coastlines but, speaking to constituents about this, week-in, week-out, my expectations of whoever takes on this responsibility at SWW are clear:

In recent months, I’ve been encouraged to see the SWW executive team signal a willingness to prioritise those Combined Storm Overflow sites constituents deemed most crucial - mainly those near bathing sites.

Their stated ambition is to reduce spills to fewer than ten per year at these priority sites and ensure top-tier treatment standards.

It’s a good aim – but my constituents have rightly said, loud and clear: we’ve waited long enough. The new CEO must push further and faster. I expect a clear update by the end of the summer on which investments are being accelerated and when real changes will be delivered on the ground.

The final recommendations of the Cunliffe Report, published by the government last month, laid out a clear case for reforming how water bills are structured – especially for those most in need. With household budgets still stretched, and many communities in Cornwall facing deprivation, it's unacceptable for water bills to rise unchecked while the company fails to meet environmental standards.

I welcome SWW's recent tripling of social support, and would urge all constituents struggling with bills to make contact to discuss this but a new CEO must work with Government to help design and deliver a national social tariff that ensures the most vulnerable customers get a fairer deal, and that people aren’t paying extra to clean up problems they didn’t create.

The public has lost confidence in SWW, and for good reason. Whether it's reports of bonuses while bills rise, or the difficulty ordinary people face in accessing reliable data about local discharges, the perception – and too often the reality – is that profit is coming before people and planet.

Transparency must now be non-negotiable. In line with the intent of the Water (Special Measures) Act, the company must provide real-time discharge data, regular community updates, and plain-English communication. The era of hiding behind spreadsheets and PR lines must end.

Groups like Surfers Against Sewage have highlighted how pollution doesn’t just damage our environment – it hurts our health, our economy, and our way of life. The new boss must commit to treating our beaches and rivers as shared assets. That means working hand in hand with local landowners, councils, campaigners, and businesses to get the job done. I've made my commitment to do the same. It's in all of our interests.

South West Water needs not just a new face at the top, but a new mindset – one based on transparency, accountability and urgency. I’ll continue pushing for the change our community needs and deserves – and I’ll be watching closely to see if the next CEO is ready to step up to the mark.