The House of Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee has written to the Minister for Water and Flooding, Emma Hardy, to ask if there will be adequate support in place for customers in water poverty over the next five years.
The letter references evidence the EFRA Committee heard in its 21 January evidence session as part of its current inquiry into reforming the water sector. The Consumer Council for Water told the Committee that there would be over a million households left in water poverty, despite the increased support on offer from water companies, over the next five years.
Witnesses described the ‘postcode lottery’ amongst the social tariffs offered by water companies, which offer lower bills to low-income and vulnerable customers.
Representatives of consumers and water companies highlighted how people in the same set of financial circumstances can receive significantly different levels of support due to their geographical location and they advocated for the introduction of a single, consistent social tariff to reform the injustice of the current situation.
The Committee’s letter notes that the Government has amended the Water (Special Measures) Bill with provisions that should tackle some of the legislative blockers to a single social tariff.
Writing on behalf of the Committee, Chair Alistair Carmichael asked the Minister the following questions:
- What assessment has a. the Government and b. Ofwat made of the sufficiency of the proposed level of support for customers in water poverty over the next five years?
- Can you outline the steps that Defra and other departments, such as the Department for Work and Pensions, are taking to improve the awareness of support available to those experience water poverty?
If such an assessment does not exist, the letter calls on the Government to ensure one is made as a matter of urgency and provide the Committee with details of the assessment.
The Committee has also asked the Government to put on record its commitment to developing a single social tariff and continuing to remove all barriers to its implementation as soon as possible. It also asks the Minister to set out a timetable for developing a single social tariff to come into effect in 2025.
Alistair Michael has asked Emma Hardy to provide a response by 28 February.
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