Wessex Water, the Bath-based water and sewerage company, has welcomed new recommendations to end ‘water poverty’ and make bills more affordable for customers.
Proposals have been unveiled by the Consumer Council for Water (CCW) to end the postcode lottery of support for households struggling to pay their water bill, with a new national social tariff for England and Wales being created.
As the first water company to provide such a tariff for its customers, Wessex Water said it is fully behind an independent affordability review led by CCW on behalf of the UK and Welsh governments.
Sue Lindsay, Wessex Water’s director of customer policy and engagement, said: “Water bills should be affordable for all and water use shouldn’t be rationed by customers’ ability to pay.
“A new national tariff is a good thing for customers when combined with local support schemes for those people with individual circumstances.
“We look forward to working with Defra and CCW to implement the recommendations and develop the national social tariff.”
The proposed tariff would ensure no one ever has to spend more than five per cent of their income on water bills, ending what has been described as a “patchwork of support” provided by different water company schemes.
Wessex Water works with debt advice agencies to offer tailored help to those who need it most, while its Assist scheme has been extended to anyone who has suffered a loss of income directly as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, perhaps because of redundancy or being self-employed and unable to work.
For more information, visit wessexwater.co.uk/helptopay.
