WIREDGOV

This week CCW were in Parliament talking to MPs about our plans to End Water Poverty across England and Wales. A huge thank you to Liz Twist MP for sponsoring our drop in session.

It was a busy morning with MPs dropping in to hear about how they could play a role in helping us to ensure the recommendations from our independent review of water affordability become a reality.

Our plans were well received and we were delighted to secure pledges of support from across the political spectrum.

CCW’s review – which was published in May 2021 – found that the current range of help being provided has not been enough to prevent 1.5 million households from languishing in water poverty across England and Wales.

The pandemic and deepening cost of living crisis – fuelled by rising inflation and energy bills – has only served to intensify the pressure on many households. The review highlighted that under the current system there is a postcode lottery of support for people struggling to afford their water bill. The assistance you receive is largely dependent on where you live and your supplier. This means two families facing the same financial difficulties will receive different levels of support. The same family in the same circumstances can get a 90% bill reduction – or no help at all, simply depending on where they live.

This is why CCW is calling for the UK and Welsh Governments and the water sector to work together to introduce a single social tariff that provides consistent, targeted support to those that need it most.

See if you can spot your MP in the pictures above, find out more about our affordability campaign here.