Households struggling to afford their water bills are being urged by the Consumer Council for Water (CCWater) to use new online tools which could provide a vital boost to their finances.
The water watchdog has teamed up with poverty relief charity Turn2us to provide a benefits calculator and grants search tool to help struggling water customers in England and Wales identify ways to bolster their income.
The partnership forms part of wider efforts by the independent water watchdog to ensure the one in eight water customers who say their water bill is not affordable receive the help they need before sinking into debt.
The scale of the challenge was highlighted in a recent report by water sector regulator Ofwat on affordability and debt which revealed the amount owed to water companies in unpaid bills has risen by 17 per cent since 2010.
Andy White, Senior Policy Manager at CCWater, said:
“This important partnership with Turn2us is just one of the ways we are working to ensure more customers who are struggling to keep their head above water don’t miss out on assistance.
“We know from speaking to customers on low incomes that they often have no idea that help exists - or they are too embarrassed to ask - so they end up suffering in silence and often sacrifice essential items such as food or heating to try to pay their bill. We hope these tools will make it even easier for households to get access to the support they need.”
The calculator can help households quickly identify whether they are entitled to a wide range of means-tested benefits, including Housing Benefit, Council Tax Support and Working Tax Credit. Customers can also click onto the grants search tool to see whether they might qualify for assistance from over 3,000 charitable funds, including those established by water companies.
CCWater’s website also features a useful guide to water company social tariffs to help low-income households work out whether they might qualify for reduced water bills. And a few clicks on CCWater’s water meter calculator can also help customers work out if switching to a water meter might save them money.
Click here to access the benefits calculator and grants search.
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