Citizens Advice responds to ‘Priorities for water sector reform’ report
Responding to the Priorities for Water Sector Reform report, Tom MacInnes, Director of Policy at Citizens Advice, said:
“A single social tariff could be a real game-changer for people struggling with rising water bills, so we’re glad to see the select committee highlight this.
“Right now those on the sharp end of bills face a postcode lottery for support. Even when water social tariffs are available, more than two fifths (42%) of those likely to be eligible aren’t aware they exist.
“Change can’t come soon enough, with water poverty set to almost double among Citizens Advice debt clients unless extra support gets to those who need it. For a single social tariff to really work as a safety net, low-income households must be automatically enrolled.”
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Notes to editors:
Data
The following data was submitted to the EFRA committee hearing, 21 January 2025:
The water bill rises planned for 2025-30 will see water poverty* among Citizens Advice debt clients almost double (95% increase), if there is no increase in social tariff provision.
Four out of the ten water catchment areas would see water poverty among our debt clients more than double. In one, water poverty would increase by as much as 168%.
For some suppliers, we project an almost 15% increase in negative budgets - when outgoings exceed income - among our debt clients, as a result of their water bill going up.
*Water poverty here is defined as spending more than 5% of disposable income on a water bill, as per CCW guidance.
Additional data:
The below is according to a nationally representative survey of 2,746 adults across Great Britain, conducted for Citizens Advice by Yonder Data Solutions. Fieldwork took place between 16th October and 21st October 2024:
Of those who had fallen behind on their water bill in the previous 12 months, two in five were not signposted to any kind of bill support by their provider.
80% of those likely eligible for water social tariff support said that they had never considered applying for one.
Almost half (42%) said this was because they weren't aware of water social tariffs, and 15% said they didn't know how to apply.
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