Latest news with #Consumer Council for Water
Telegraph
7 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Nothing stands between rotten water companies and their suffering customers
SIR – Our property is subject to water bills on the basis of an assessed household charge, which does not reflect consumption. This April, Thames Water raised the annual charge by 37 per cent; Ofwat had announced many months before that it was authorising water companies to increase bills by an average of 35 per cent over five years. Clearly, our new charge is excessive, but when I contacted the Consumer Council for Water, it was unable to help and suggested that I get in touch with Ofwat instead. I wrote to Ofwat and, after a delay of more than three months, was told that our water company was responsible for setting, publishing and explaining its charges. In effect, I should query the increase with Thames Water, taking me full circle. No wonder that Ofwat is to be abolished (report, July 21). It appears to be a completely toothless organisation. David Bray Godalming, Surrey SIR – It is probably of little comfort to Robin Willow (Letters, July 20) – whose Thames Water bill has increased by 38 per cent this year – that Severn Trent Water has raised our charges by 43 per cent. This is in spite of Ofwat's agreement with Severn Trent that it would limit its increase to 47 per cent over the course of the next five years. Needless to say, I too have been stonewalled by Ofwat. The sooner it is replaced by a consumer-based regulator, the better it will be for all. Bob Juleff Craven Arms, Shropshire SIR – Part of the problem is that there is still a mixed system of water charging. The original system, based on the rateable value of a property, effectively charged those who could afford bigger houses more than those in small houses, whatever their consumption. That method ended in 1990 with the community charge, and all new houses had to have water meters. As they could not be made compulsory for existing customers, only those for whom it was beneficial to fit a meter made the switch. Even with an above-average rateable value, we stayed on the fixed rate until our children left home. Our water bill then fell to less than half what it had been. Our daughter and her family live in a Victorian terrace with a low rateable value, so don't have a meter, but use considerably more water than we do. If every house had to have a meter, there would be more incentive to reduce consumption. Those on low incomes with children could be supported through benefits, rather than distorting utility bills as a tax by the back door ('Middle class face higher water bills', report, July 20). Roger Jackson Stockport, Cheshire
The Independent
20-07-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Government launches water ombudsman to boost consumer protection
Customers will be given stronger protections against water firms under government plans to restore trust in the beleaguered industry. Steve Reed is setting up a new water ombudsman with legal powers to resolve disputes, rather than the current voluntary system that is thought to lack teeth. The environment secretary is embarking on 'the biggest overhaul of water regulation in a generation' amid growing anger at poor service, spiralling bills and the pollution of Britain's waterways. He pledged on Sunday to cut pollution in Britain's rivers in half by the end of the decade, eliminating it completely by 2035. And on Monday he will outline the latest changes, which will expand the role of the Consumer Council for Water (CCW), bringing the sector into line with other utilities by creating a legally binding consumer watchdog. The ombudsman will also provide a single point of contact for consumers with complaints, instead of leaving them uncertain about where to go. The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said the new watchdog would help "re-establish partnership" between water companies and consumers. In May, a survey by the CCW found trust in water companies had reached a new low, with less than two-thirds of people saying they provided value for money. Only 53 per cent said they thought what water companies charged was fair, even before the impact of a 26 per cent increase in bills that came into effect in April. The new ombudsman is part of Mr Reed's wider plans for a "root and branch reform" of the water industry, set to be unveiled alongside a major review of the sector on Monday. Following publication of the review, he is expected to say: "The water industry is broken. Our rivers, lakes and seas are polluted with record levels of sewage. "Water pipes have been left to crumble into disrepair. Soaring water bills are straining family finances. "Today's final report from Sir Jon Cunliffe's Independent Water Commission offers solutions to fix our broken regulatory system so the failures of the past can never happen again." The key recommendation is expected to involve scrapping Ofwat and creating a new regulator, which could incorporate the work of the CCW. Mr Reed on Sunday promised to make the UK's rivers the cleanest since records began with a £104bn investment to rebuild the country's crumbling sewage pipes. Speaking to the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Mr Reed said Labour would unleash a 'water revolution' in response to Sir Jon's review. He said leaky pipes and crumbling infrastructure has cost taxpayers tens of billions of pounds, promising the party would look to eliminate sewage pollution in rivers completely by 2035. And, amid speculation Ofwat is to be scrapped, he said the water regulator 'has failed everyone'. Mr Reed said: 'I'm making an absolute commitment, and I'm committed to delivering it. "My intention, assuming I'm lucky enough to still be in the same job in five years' time, I would love to sit here with you then and point to places like Windermere and see how much cleaner they are than today." Asked whether he would put his job on the line, he said: "Politicians come and say we're going to do things. Of course our job should be on the line if we don't."
