Government launches water sector commission

The Government has launched a new commission set up by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to explore how water companies in England could work better. The review could see water companies banned from making a profit under plans for a complete overhaul of the system. The Commission forms the next stage…

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44% of elderly say loss of Winter Fuel Payment will negatively their impact health

16th October 2024 Consumer Collections |

Ahead of a hand-in of more than 500,000 signatures calling on the UK Government to protect the Winter Fuel Payment, new research from Independent Age has found that 44% of older people (65+) in England think losing the Winter Fuel Payment will negatively impact their physical heath. The new polling also shows that many people…

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Four in five pensioners set to lose Winter Fuel Payment

10th October 2024 Consumer Collections | #energy

New Age UK analysis reveals that shockingly high numbers of pensioners living below or just above the poverty line – 82% or four in every five are set to lose their Winter Fuel Payment (WFP) as a result of the Government’s policy change. This includes huge numbers of older people who are aged over 80, disabled,…

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Ofwat says water companies must pay £158m to customers

Water companies in England and Wales have been told to pay £158 million  penalty to customers as a result of poor performance. The regulator, Ofwat, announced the penalties as part of its annual review of companies’ performance. Performance penalties have totalled more than £430m since 2020. Ofwat’s annual Water Company Performance Report which shows disappointing…

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Water complaints rise to near-decade high

4th October 2024 News | #water company complaints

The number of customer complaints that were unable to be resolved by water companies in England and Wales has risen by almost a third (29%) to the highest level in nearly a decade according to analysis by the Consumer Council for Water (CCW). CCW’s annual household customer complaint-handling report shows overall customers had to make a total…

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One million households will not put on heating until December to keep costs down

4th October 2024 Consumer Collections | #energy costs

One million people are determined to put off switching on their heating until December to help keep costs down according to new research from Uswitch.com. However the average household will turn on their heating this Sunday (6th October) this year. That’s nearly a week earlier than last year’s big switch-on, which fell on 12th October. With…

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7.7m households suffering from fuel stress

7.7 million households in England are at risk of fuel stress this winter, including the majority of families with children. The Government will therefore need to do more to support vulnerable households who are no longer eligible for Winter Fuel Payments (WFP) and those who never have been, according to new research published by the…

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Half of consumers plan to ration energy use this winter

1st October 2024 Consumer Collections | #energy bills

With energy bills are set to rise again, by 10%, from today (Tuesday 1st October), a new survey by fuel poverty charity National Energy Action and YouGov has found almost half (46%) of adults say they are likely to ration their energy use this winter – using less than they should for maintaining comfort and wellbeing. A…

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Money Statistics: September 2024

Here is an overview of The Money Charity’s latest statistics for September 2024 Personal debt in the UK People in the UK owed £1,860.6 billion at the end of July 2024. The average total debt per household, including mortgages, was £65,515 and per adult was £34,457, around 95.8% of average earnings. Net mortgage lending increased by…

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Energy and broadband customers lost £300m to poor customer service last year

New Which? research has found energy and broadband customers lost an estimated £298m and 27.3 million hours to poor customer service in a year, as the consumer champion challenges firms to make urgent improvements.  Which? surveyed more than 4,000 people to uncover how many people had a customer service issue in the year to May…

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One in four are looking to change their energy supplier

26th September 2024 Consumer Collections | #energy

With energy prices set to rise 10% in October, new research from Go.Compare Energy has revealed that half of consumers (51%) would consider switching energy providers to manage the cost of their bills, with one in four (25%) actively looking for a new tariff. The new Price Cap will increase from £1,568 to £1,717. Ahead…

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OVO to pay £2.37m for customer complaint failures

Energy company OVO is to pay £2.37m in compensation for customer complaint failures. Energy regulator Ofgem said OVO will pay £378,512 directly to affected customers, with an additional £2 million to the Energy Industry Voluntary Redress Scheme in recognition of the severity of consumer detriment caused. The regulator identified that 1,395 OVO customers were affected…

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Energy and water regulators announces data sharing plans to support vulnerable consumers

11th September 2024 Arrears and Recoveries | #data sharing

Vulnerable customers will be able to access support services more quickly and easily, thanks to a project driving forward Priority Services Register (PSR) data-sharing between energy and water companies. At a summit meeting, Ofgem and Ofwat announced plans bring together suppliers, customer groups and experts to work towards a transformation in customer service culture across…

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