A recent survey conducted by the Consumer Council for Water (CCW) has found that 40% of households across England and Wales are worried about affording the proposed increases to their water bills, with concerns being particularly high in Wales, where 48% of customers said the rises would be difficult to bear.
The proposed bill hikes, which would take effect in April 2025, are set to average a 21% increase before inflation, to fund £88 billion worth of improvements in water services and environmental efforts.
Despite broad support for the planned investments to tackle issues like leakage and pollution, many households say they cannot shoulder the additional costs.
CCW’s survey, which sampled 9,500 households, revealed that the proposed rises could have a significant impact on household budgets.
Over half of those who would struggle to pay their bills said they would cut back on non-essential spending, while 43% would reduce their water usage and 38% would spend less on food and other essentials.
The findings suggest a strong desire for more financial support for struggling households, with CCW calling for a nationwide social tariff to replace the existing, fragmented financial assistance schemes.
While most billpayers accepted the need for investment in water services, a mismatch between proposed bill increases and financial support remains a key issue.
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