WATER COMPANIES in Wales must make sure that customers who cannot afford to pay their bills are given the help they need, according to the Consumer Council for Water (CCWater).

The watchdog’s call comes as today’s annual publication of charges by Water UK reveals that the average water and sewerage bill for Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water customers in 2016-17 will remain the same as for last year at £438.

In the case of Dee Valley Water average water charges will rise by £7 to £145 from April 2016. It means that the average water and sewerage bill for their customers – based on Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water’s sewerage charges – will be £402.

The figures show average bills but what customers actually end up paying will vary depending on individual circumstances. That may mean some customers pay more or less than the average bill for their company.

Today’s announcement marks the second wave of charges under the five-year price setting deal finalised by Ofwat, the industry’s regulator, in December 2014. Between 2015 and 2020 household bills are set to fall by an average of 5 per cent (before inflation).

Tom Taylor, Chair of CCWater’s Wales Committee, said: “We are pleased that Dŵr Cymru’s customers will see no change in their bills for 2016-17.

“Any customers in Wales worried about their bill should contact their company directly to discuss flexible payment options and other help available. From April 2016 Dee Valley will be offering support through a social tariff, ‘Here2Help’, whilst Dŵr Cymru’s HelpU tariff has been supporting low-income customers for almost a year*.

“One in seven water customers in Wales tell us they cannot afford their water bill**. So we will continue to challenge both companies to ensure they raise awareness of the assistance they can offer customers who urgently need support.”

The water watchdog is also supporting struggling customers by working with poverty relief charity Turn2us to launch an online benefits calculator and grants search tool to enable customers to identify additional income to help them to pay their bills.

The tools are available on this website along with a water meter calculator which customers can use to find out whether they would save money by switching to a water meter.*Dŵr Cymru customers previously receiving assistance from Welsh Water Assist will transfer to the next best available tariff and could experience some slight increases.

**Water Matters: Household customers’ views of their water and sewerage services 2014.

For more information or to arrange an interview with a CCWater spokesperson please call the media team on 0121 345 1006.

Forecast average household bills in 2016/17 

Water and sewerage companies Average water bill 2016/17 Change from 2015/16 Average sewerage bill 2016/17 Change from 2015/16 Average combined bill 2016/17 Average change in combined water and sewerage bill
Anglian £182 £3 £229 £2 £411 £5 1%
Dwr Cymru £181 £0 £257 £0 £438 £0 0%
Northumbrian – North East £174 £1 £203 £5 £378 £7 2%
Severn Trent £172 -£3 £157 £3 £329 £0 0%
South West £219 -£4 £319 £8 £488 £5 1%
Southern £147 £2 £264 -£9 £411 -£7 -2%
Thames £198 £2 £176 £2 £374 £5 1%
United Utilities £201 £1 £214 £2 £415 £3 1%
Wessex £234 -£1 £226 +£1 £460 £0 0%
Yorkshire £162 £3 £204 £2 £366 £5 1%

 

Water only companies Average water bill 2016/17 Change in water only bill – not including sewerage charges
Affinity
Central region £174 £2 1%
East region £174 £0 0%
Southeast region £206 £3 2%
Bournemouth £136 £1 1%
Bristol £175 -£2 -1%
Dee Valley £145 £7 5%
Northumbrian – Essex & Suffolk £236 £4 2%
Portsmouth £98 £1 1%
South East £198 £0 0%
South Staffordshire
Cambridge £127 -£2 -2%
South Staffordshire £142 -£2 -2%
Sutton and East Surrey £186 £3 2%

 

Overall average change (combined bill)
National average bill (England and Wales) £183 £1 £206 £1 £389 £2 1%

 

  1. Average bills for 2016-17 are estimates based on forecast data provided by water companies.
  2. The average household bill is, by definition, an average across all customers. Individual customers’ bills may be more or less than the average because of their particular characteristics, for example, whether they have a water meter. Changes to customers’ bills will vary according to which company supplies them. Some customers receive their water services from one company and receive their sewerage services from another. To calculate the average combined bill, you must add the average water bill to the average sewerage bill.
  3. The change in the Wessex Water bill is a comparison against the forecast average 2015-16 bill published by Water UK in January 2015.
  4. Since April 2013, household customers served by South West Water have benefited from a Government Contribution, which reduces the bill for all households by £50 per year. This £50 reduction is applied to the combined average bill in this table. Without the Government Contribution, South West Water’s combined average bill would be around £538.
  5. The national average bill figure for England and Wales of £389 is weighted to reflect the number of customers served by individual companies. It also does not factor in the Government Contribution to South West Water’s household bills. The national average bill figure therefore incorporates an average South West Water household bill of £538.
  6. Some numbers may not add up due to rounding.