Water companies’ efforts to ease cost of living pressures welcomed

Information from Ofwat and CCW has shown that water companies are increasing financial support for their customers, with record numbers benefiting from discounted water bills. However, both organisations are calling on companies to do even more to help in the face of immediate and urgent cost of living pressures.

In October 2022, Ofwat and CCW chief executives David Black and Emma Clancy wrote to water companies setting out their shared expectation that water companies must do more to support a greater number of customers given the current pressures on the cost of living. This included considering how water companies could reduce the impact of inflation on customers’ bills for 2023-24.

Ofwat Chief Executive David Black said “We welcome the different actions that companies are taking to help those who need it most. The scale of cost of living challenges mean that this is and must remain a priority – water companies need to continue to improve the support they offer customers.  With households facing unprecedented pressures on their finances, customers will expect to see water companies, and their shareholders, go above and beyond to support them.”

Emma Clancy, Chief Executive of the Consumer Council for Water (CCW), said “We’ve seen some good examples of water companies ramping up their efforts to take the worry out of water bills for customers and we particularly applaud those that are putting in shareholders’ own money to bolster support. There is no room for complacency though and the prospect of future bill increases, fuelled by high inflation and the price tag of environmental investment, means companies will have to do even more to support low-income customers. The case for a new water affordability scheme to provide fairer and consistent support for households struggling to pay their bill has never been more compelling.”