Forthcoming Events

Forthcoming Events in our 2025-2026 Programme

Our meetings are held at Seven Arts 31A Harrogate Rd, Chapel Allerton, Leeds LS7 3PD.

If possible please arrive by 7.15pm for a 7.30pm start. There will be a £6 entrance fee to cover costs.

Our Scheduled Events in 2025-26:

Forthcoming Talk:

The next meeting will take place on Wednesday 11th Febrary starting at 7.30pm, at Seven Arts 31A Harrogate Road

Chapel Allerton, Leeds LS7 3PD. Please arrive by 7.15pm to allow a prompt start.

'Cleaner, Cheaper, Fairer - why public ownership will stop sewage pollution'. A talk by Professor Becky Malby, Visiting Professor at York University

About the Talk

The water industry is in crisis with the taps running dry in many towns and villages in the South, Drought orders across England, Soaring water bills and pollution everywhere. Gone are the days when you could book a seaside holiday in Britain and be able to get in the sea without checking a sewage discharge map. The water industry has paid out more in dividends and debt payment to its shareholders than it has had invested from them, it has neglected its assets blaming the regulators, and there is no national water strategy to conserve and protect our waters. The public has no say over how our water is run, and non-payment of water bills for not delivering services is met with prosecution. Every water company in England is under criminal investigation. In this context,the imminent Water Reform Bill will not fix the problem, as the government has excluded any exploration or optional appraisal of other ownership models. Across the world, the majority of water is in public ownership with remunicipalisation the norm. England is an outlier in sticking with a failed privatised system. The People's Commission on the Water Sector was set up in parallel to the governments 'independent' Commission (run by Defra) run by 4 academics, including Professor Malby, taking research-based evidence in public. The results show that water is cleaner, cheaper and fairer in public ownership. Prof Malby will share her story of how she had to move upstream from finding shocking sewage pollution in her local river to challenging successive governments on their unwillingness to tackle the root cause, and the solutions proposed by The People's Commission.

About Professor Malby

Professor Becky Malby is a Visiting Professor in health systems leadership and innovation at York University, London South Bank University and Huddersfield University. She is non-executive at West Yorkshire Ambulance Trust, and an honorary fellow of the Royal College of General Practice. She has made sustained and demonstrable impact through her work on the quality of health services with global reach. Becky is the Chair of the Ilkley Clean River Group, Founder of the Sewage Campaign Network, and Chair of The People's Commission on the Water Sector. She also chairs the Ilkley Pool and Lido Community Group, and leads the Ilkley Free School Meals holiday provision. She secured the first river with Bathing Status and the Ilkley campaign has led to a circa £60m infrastructure improvement to clean up the river. She is a vociferous campaigner delivering government, regulator and the water industry’s responsibility to them.

Forthcoming Talks ( Updated)

March 11th Prof Mark Stuart Future of Work: Use of digital technologies and use of AI by firms & impact on

workforce (Title to be confirmed)

April 8th Richard Baernthaler Beyond Net Zero: What Wartime Britain Can Teach Us About Rapid Social-Ecological Transition

May 13th Tax Justice Network 'Wealth inequality, the case for taxing wealth in the UK and how it could be done effectively'.

June 10th Mark Parker. School of Earth & Environment ‘AI in food production: how much should we worry about big tech ?’

July 8th; Members’ Talks

You can contact use via email at cafeeconomqiueleeds2019@gmail.com, and visit our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/cafeeconomiqueleeds.

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