Local MP to ask Government to End Water Bill Inequity

Torbay MP, Adrian Sanders, is to raise the issue of high water and sewerage charging in the South West in the House of Commons on Wednesday.

The 10 Minute Rule Bill to be debated on the 15^th of March is titled the Water and Sewerage Charges (limit on Household Expenditure) Bill and seeks to ensure the government lifts thousands of local people out of water poverty.

Adrian will highlight the problems the legacy of privatisation left the South West region including the difficulties with the size of the South West Water region and coastal burden.

Adrian said,

“The water industry was privatised by the Conservatives in 1989 leaving a difficult and costly legacy. With water companies taking up different geographical areas it was inevitable that some took over small areas and thus could not benefit from economies of scale. South West water is one of the smallest companies which resulted from privatisation and hence has to push the costs incurred because of this on to the consumer.

Furthermore, the so-called ‘green dowry’, money set aside for coastal clean up in the process of privatisation for regions like the South West, was massively underestimated and the bill instead landed at the foot of the consumer.”

Adrian will go on to call for the government to take steps to ensure that no one is living in water poverty in the UK:

“Of those in average income households in the region, over 21% pay more than 3% of their income on water and sewerage bills. This is only the burden on the average household, the situation for pensioners and families and vulnerable groups is much worse.

“Indeed in Devon and Cornwall pensioners currently spend 6 and a half % of their income on water and sewerage bills before they find money to pay for electricity and escalating gas charges.

“In Torbay people earn 23% less per week than the UK average, yet their water bills are 33% higher than average. The highest burden is falling on those least able to carry it.

“The government must find a suitable mechanism to ensure this is no longer the case.”

Finally Adrian will use the examples of water equalisation in Northern Ireland and electricity bill subsidies in Scotland to exemplify the possibilities for removing inequality in water charging.

Adrian said,

“The precedent in Northern Ireland demonstrates that the government is willing to look at fairer charging and a similar method could be introduced across the United Kingdom.

“The Consumer Council for Water has said that the situations in Northern Ireland and the South West were almost identical in terms of low population, lower incomes and huge coastlines.”

The Bill will be presented to the House of Commons at 12.30 on Wednesday following Prime Ministers’ Questions.

See more on Adrian's campaign to cut water bills by clicking here.