Water bills must be reduced for those struggling to afford the basics with a new “social tariff”, leading charities have told the government.
In a letter to newly appointed environment secretary Emma Reynolds, the group warned that people on low incomes must be supported to afford water, with the average bill expected to rise to £603 this year – a 26 per cent rise from 2024.
Coordinated by older people’s charity Independent Age, signatories including Trussell, Sense, and Martin Lewis’s charity Money and Mental Health say a social water tariff would “ensure more people are able to access the water they need without having to make extreme sacrifices”.
The measure would see people on low incomes consistently given financial support to be able to afford their water bills, effectively means-testing them. The majority of households in the UK saw their water bills rise in April, with further hikes planned over the next five years.
Rising costs are forcing people to “resort to desperate coping strategies”, like avoiding flushing the toilet, cutting back on doing laundry, and showering less often, the letter warns. It urges Ms Reynolds to launch a consultation on a social tariff as soon as possible.
Research from Independent Age found that 42 per cent of older people on low incomes are finding it a struggle to keep on top of water bills, with 750,000 estimated to be living in water poverty. This could rise to almost a million by 2029/30 without action, the charity adds.
Judith Howard, 78, from London, said: “A national water social tariff would change my life for the better if it reduces my bills. I never thought I would have to ration my water usage in later life.
“I’ve stopped having baths and just use my basin to wash myself. I don’t have a shower and can’t afford to have one put in. My washing machine is too expensive to run, I now have to do all my laundry at the launderette, which is a bus ride away. I have even reduced the number of times I flush the toilet. I hate living this way, but I have no choice.”
Independent Age chief executive Joanna Elson said: “Water bills are set to rise in the coming years and without intervention from the UK government, there will be a drastic surge in the number of older people living in water poverty. A national water social tariff in England and Wales would protect people living on low incomes. It’s time we built a fair water system where no one has to ration their usage because of high costs.”
The findings come as Citizens Advice reveals that almost one in five households struggled to pay their water bill in the last year, with the charity also calling for a social water tariff.
Under current rules, all water companies offer a social tariff, but the extent of help is a “postcode lottery”, the charities say, as what is offered varies greatly between providers.
In July, the Independent Water Commission recommended the introduction of a national social tariff for water in England. “This will help address the widely different levels of support currently in place,” it told the government, “with caps on bills varying by hundreds of pounds in different parts of the country.”
A Defra spokesperson said: “We are taking decisive action to clean up England’s rivers, lakes and seas for good, and protect families from massive bill hikes.”
“Under this government, the number of customers that will receive help with their bills through social tariffs has grown – from 4 per cent to 9 per cent. We are also working with industry to keep support schemes under review to ensure vulnerable customers are supported.”
