Catch of The Day

From an original idea by Hubbub and their For Fish's Sake, Don't Drop Litter campaign

Take the action to OFWAT's [or any] door

Overview

Set up in 1989 to monitor the newly privatised water industry, OFWAT, the water industry watchdog, has been accused by politicians and experts of failing to deliver the financial or management discipline that was promised.

OFWAT are guilty of regulatory capture (dominated by the interests they regulate and not by the public interest) and is in thrall to the very companies and people it is expected to oversee.

Lord Andrew Tyrie, Tory peer and former chair of the Competition and Markets Authority, has called for a thorough review of regulation in the UK, saying some regulators had been “captured by vested interests”.

A regular churn of staff between Ofwat and water companies has added to a sense that the watchdog is overly cosy with investors and water companies at the expense of consumers.

Ofwat consistently fail to properly regulate the market and consistently approves water company’s financial models; which allow those water companies to take out massive loans to pay dividends and bonuses whilst failing to invest in the vital infrastructure we need.

They fail to take action against the illegal dumping of raw sewage and the fines they levy are so pitiful the water companies would rather pay them than pay to upgrade the infrastructure and fix the problems.

Where to Take Action

You can take this action to any door including Ofwat's. And include more spicy elements as and when you want to.

What You Need

• Gazebo or tarp [striped if possible!]
• Table(s)
• Plastic trays
• Fake ice
• Today’s 'catch' – nappies, tampons, wet wipes, fake poos, old shopping trolley etc
• Signs for the stall
• Blackboard with today’s menu (or is it possible to have a brownboard?)
• Dirty Water Banner
• Placards
• Brown Smoke
• Leaflets
• Branded T-shirts for those handing out vouchers
• “Free Catch of the Day” vouchers
• Climate Crime scene tape

'Catch of the Day' stand

• Create a fake market fish stand with a gazebo and some tables.
• Selling today’s catch – dirty nappies, used condoms, soiled wet wipes, and anything and everything we find polluting our rivers.
• Rebels dress as fish market traders and shout for people to buy today’s “Catch of the Day”.
• This is a visual and humorous way of highlighting the issue, which from afar will look like an ordinary market stand (albeit in an unusual location).
• Shouting - catch of the day - in a market trader manner will highlight the action to those further away, increasing the reach.
• This is not designed as a spicy action however you could incorporate spicy elements if you desire to do so.

Other things you could include

• Utilise revolving doors, e.g. signs on one saying '[Name of authority] staff in', sign on the other saying 'Water Company staff out'
• Use 'Climate Crime Scene' tape around the building
• Take a box of today’s catch inside to offer to staff

Hand a demand to the authority

• Write a letter to their CEO and deliver it on the day of the action
• The exact contents of the letter are up to you but it could include one, or all of the following:
  • A brief overview of their lack of action to date
  • What we think they should do in the immediate short term to stop the water companies from continuing as they are:
    • Ban dividend and bonus payments until water companies stop the illegal dumping of sewage)
    • Tighten up the current regulations that allow the water companies to lawfully rate beaches and swimming spots as “excellent” despite sewage being dumped there
    • Increase the punishments for illegal activity and increase fines
  • Include your thoughts on the too-cosy relationship between them and the water companies.

An extension to the design

• Have rebels dress in 'Catch of the Day' branded t-shirts.
• Give free lunch vouchers out to commuters getting off the train in the morning – act as though it’s a normal new start-up that’s opening and giving away free lunches as part of the launch. This should help bring more people to the action and enable us to engage with them on the issue.

Messaging

The messaging needs to be carefully considered. There are several issues you could focus on, trying to cover them all is likely to dilute any individual message, so choosing one or two may be a better option.

• Issue of bonuses and dividends being paid without the investment in infrastructure
• Extremely weak punishments for those who dump sewage illegally and ineffectual fines
• Water companies being allowed to rate beaches and swimming spots as ‘excellent’ despite the sewage being dumped – poor testing procedures.
• Revolving door between the water companies and the regulator.

Roles

• Action coordinator
• Fish stall staff – some to be behind the stall and some to be shouting from the front
• People carrying trays of today’s 'catch' – 3-5 people
• Banner holders
• Protest Liaison
• Photographer
• Spokesperson
• Live streamer / Videographer
• Action Wellbeing
• Outreach (handing out leaflets / sign-ups)
• XR Rhythms (optional)
• Police Station Support [if spicy elements included]
• Media & Messaging support

Possible future uses

The 'Catch of the Day' stall can be easily replicated elsewhere by other groups. You could even consider taking it to actual markets as a fun way to communicate the issue to the public.