38% of older people (65+) living on a low household income (under £15k per year) in England and 29% in Wales are either finding it a constant struggle – or a struggle from time to time – to keep up with their water bills, according to new research by Independent Age1. Independent Age has teamed up with 14 other organisations to send an open letter to the Minister for Water and Flooding, Emma Hardy, making the case for a single social tariff for water in England and Wales.

In July, it was confirmed that on average, water bills will rise by 21% over the next five years from April 2025. Independent Age is calling for a single social tariff for water to be implemented to support customers who are living on a low income so they can better afford their water bills, including people in later life. Currently, all water companies provide a social tariff to protect customers living on low incomes, but the system is impacted by an “unfair postcode lottery” as both eligibility criteria and generosity vary between companies and there is no option to change your water supplier.

New polling commissioned by the charity also lays bare the impact high water bills have on people in later life who are in financial hardship. 40% of older people living on a low household income in England are having to cut back their spending either ‘a great deal’ or ‘a fair amount’ on their water usage. The figure was only slightly lower in Wales at 33%.

Covered in The Guardian

Ministers are under pressure to end the “postcode lottery” on water by introducing a single social tariff for households on low incomes, amid fresh signs consumers are struggling to keep up with bill payments.

Water companies in England and Wales offer their own social tariffs, providing discounts to consumers on low incomes. However, some of the schemes are more generous than others, creating vast disparities in how much consumers pay in different regions.

Campaigners have argued that a central funding pot into which all water companies pay would help more people.

In a letter to the minister for water and flooding, Emma Hardy, 14 charities said the new government had a “huge opportunity” to help people in poverty with their water costs.