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The Assembly Government and the organisations are currently working together to ensure our supply is maintained but at a price that can be afforded by all.

Ms Davidson said:

Water is a vital part of our lives but we must not take it for granted.

It is important that we plan ahead to ensure that the people of Wales continue to have reliable and affordable high quality drinking water and sewerage services.

This means looking at making sure there is sufficient investment in the water and sewerage system at the same time as making sure that pricing structures are fair and affordable to all, including the most vulnerable people.
The workshop in Merthyr is part of the Water Charging Review which the Welsh Assembly Government is carrying out jointly with Defra.

The review is:

• Examining the current system of charging households for water and sewerage services
• Assessing the effectiveness and fairness of current and alternative methods of charging

Specific issues that are being looked at include metering, managing the concerns over cost by people on low incomes and minimising the impact of bad debt on customers that do pay.

The workshop will play an important part in shaping future Assembly Government policies as outlined in the Strategic Policy Position Statement on Water which was published this week.

The statement sets out the Welsh Assembly Government’s core principles and policies to meet the challenges facing us from climatic, economic and social change to manage water sustainably and deliver safe and secure water and sewerage services to people in Wales.

Ms Davidson added:

The Statement will help inform this review process by outlining the Assembly Government policy on delivering water and sewerage at an affordable price. We need to make sure that the methods of charging also protect the vulnerable.

We want customers to have a choice of charging options that will drive up efficiencies, reduce debt issues and deliver benefits for all customers.

Investment in infrastructure to supply these high quality services without damaging the environment is costly and ultimately impacts on customers water bills.  We now need innovative tariffs and charging mechanisms in place to help encourage water efficiency at the same time as protecting vulnerable groups.

Related Links

http://wales.gov.uk/topics/environmentcountryside/epq/waterflooding/?lang=en