Record numbers seek help with water bills

The fig of households seeking assistance with h2o bills successful England and Wales roseate by much than 250,000 past year, according to figures seen by the BBC, but enactment varies wide depending connected wherever radical live.

Water companies spent astir £259m connected "social tariffs" past twelvemonth - discounted bills to assistance low-income households - but they each have antithetic criteria and connection antithetic levels of discount.

Those connected Welsh Water societal tariffs got an mean measure simplification of £287, portion Southern Water customers got an mean of £110 disconnected successful 2023-24.

The Consumer Council for Water (CCW) is calling connected firms to person a azygous strategy truthful that everyone gets the aforesaid level of assistance wherever they live.

The fig of households connected societal tariffs has risen by a 5th since past twelvemonth to a grounds 1.6 million. Spending connected them roseate by a quarter, according to CCW data.

It said the summation was down to companies doing much to beforehand their enactment schemes, information sharing betwixt the authorities and councils helping to place customers successful need, and the outgo of surviving starring to much households seeking help.

But determination are concerns that enactment is not the aforesaid crossed the state and that radical could beryllium missing retired connected assistance simply due to the fact that of wherever they live.

Each company’s societal tariff strategy differs based connected things similar household income, benefits received, idiosyncratic h2o bills and however overmuch radical person successful savings.

When Morgan Davies and Ellie Bryan from Liverpool recovered themselves facing a no-fault eviction, the costs of moving saw them autumn down connected their bills.

“We’re inactive paying disconnected immoderate of the bills from the aged house. Our h2o measure was betwixt £300 and £400 successful indebtedness from the different house, combined with this house, we conscionable got down connected each the payments," says Ellie, 31.

Morgan, 25, adds: “We were implicit £4,000 successful debt. We had to bash truthful galore outgo plans and it was getting to the constituent wherever we had to get a outgo program for different outgo plan.”

The couple, who some enactment arsenic supermarket displacement leaders, got proposal from Money Wellness and a missive from h2o institution United Utilities pointed them towards a societal tariff.

Their measure went from astir £39 a period to astir £25.

“I’d accidental don’t beryllium embarrassed astir admitting you’re down connected immoderate payments. You conscionable request to inquire for help," says Ellie.

"If you’re struggling with debts, telephone the institution due to the fact that 9 retired of 10 times they person a solution for you. There is assistance retired determination if you look.”

But who gets that assistance and to what grade varies depending connected which h2o institution radical are with. And dissimilar with energy and gas, radical cannot simply power to a competitor.

Data from the CCW suggests that among the 10 biggest h2o and sewerage firms, the mean measure simplification successful 2023-24 ranged from £287 for radical supplied by Welsh Water (Dŵr Cymru) down to £110 for customers of Southern Water.

The CCW’s information is not calculated arsenic a percent of idiosyncratic bills, which disagree importantly owing to determination variations and usage levels for those connected a meter.

It besides does not abstracted retired enactment for customers who get h2o and sewerage from antithetic companies.

Across England and Wales, the average bill was astir £445 successful 2023-24, rising to £473 for 2024-25.

Southern Water told the BBC it has immoderate of the lowest bills successful the state and said it knows determination are households struggling with the outgo of living.

“This is wherefore we’ve kept our minimum discount for those successful request astatine 45%, rising to 90% if necessary.

"We’re readying to much than quadruple the worth of our Hardship Fund to £1.25m per twelvemonth and we’re extending our Priority Services Register from 12% to 20% of our customers," the institution said.

Andy White, elder person for the CCW, said it was bully that much radical than ever were getting assistance done societal tariffs.

“However, it besides shines a airy connected the information that determination are important differences successful the enactment that is disposable to customers depending who serves them arsenic a h2o company,” helium said, describing it arsenic a “postcode lottery”.

“Whether you really get the assistance and suffice for that, and however overmuch assistance that is, depends wholly connected the strategy that each institution is offering,” helium said.

“And we don’t deliberation it’s close that radical should person antithetic enactment depending connected wherever they live.”

The CCW wants companies to person 1 societal tariff for radical who cannot spend their h2o and to each lend to a shared cookware truthful that the costs bash not autumn heaviest connected the poorest areas.

Water UK, which represents h2o companies, said: “Ultimately it is up to Government to acceptable the guidance connected societal tariffs, but h2o companies connection importantly higher reductions than different utilities specified arsenic energy."

The authorities said it was committed to supporting susceptible consumers with their bills and addressing h2o poverty, and had announced “an Independent Water Commission which volition study backmost adjacent twelvemonth with recommendations to support customers".

Every institution applies its ain criteria for deciding whether idiosyncratic tin person a societal tariff.

Thames Water’s website says its WaterHelp is for radical whose bills are much than 5% of nett income and offers a 50% discount to those who qualify, portion Yorkshire Water says radical mightiness beryllium eligible for its WaterSupport if they person a household income beneath £19,000 and an yearly h2o measure of much than £364.

Companies whitethorn besides inquire astir savings. Southern Water says radical indispensable person little than £16,000 arsenic good arsenic a household income of little than £22,020, oregon that everyone indispensable beryllium receiving pension credits, to beryllium eligible for its Essentials tariff.

Welsh Water, which is not for profit, offers enactment if idiosyncratic successful the household receives astatine slightest 1 means-tested payment and has antithetic income thresholds depending connected however galore radical unrecorded there.

Social tariffs are not the lone signifier of enactment connected offer. The CCW information besides showed an further £66m went to much than 200,000 accounts connected a abstracted strategy called Watersure, which caps bills for radical connected meters who assertion definite benefits and person a precocious h2o use.