Shrewsbury campaigners and MP react to proposed water bill rises

Shrewsbury campaigners and the town’s MP have reacted with shock at new data on the affordability of water bills price rises released by the Consumer Council for Water (CCW).

New data reveals that nearly half of households in England and Wales will struggle to afford the increased bills, which are intended to fund infrastructure upgrades.

The affordability issue is particularly stark among Severn Trent Water customers in the Midlands, where 37% of people who say they will struggle to pay for the bill rises plan to cut back on food shopping and essentials in order to make ends meet.

Local campaigner Claire Kirby from Up Sewage Creek in Shrewsbury says: 

"The figures are scary. People are already struggling with the cost of living and now they face a rise in their water bills for upgrade works which, by all accounts, we have already paid for. The impact of this will be huge, hammering the poorest and most vulnerable.

"Meanwhile, the water companies have withdrawn tens of billions in profits since they were privatised while failing to invest in infrastructure. It is injustice heaped upon injustice. The sewage scandal is on par with the Post Office or contaminated blood scandals. The regulator has failed to protect the little people, leaving us to be screwed over by robber barons."

Shrewsbury MP Julia Buckley says:

"As a member of the parliamentary cross party working group on water, I was interested to meet the Consumer Council for Water last week and questioned them on their work to support customers.

"Their latest report highlights just how out of touch our water company is, to consider price hikes of this magnitude when so many families are still struggling with the cost of living. Not to mention the poor value for money when we consider the pollution levels in our River and lack of investment in local infrastructure over the last two decades of continuing price rises. 

"It’s just not good enough for the people of Shrewsbury who regularly write to me with their concerns about this. I will be working closely with the CCW, and through my role as a member of the parliamentary Environment Audit Committee to examine the fairness and efficiency of our current water system, I will be voting for the Government’s new Special Measures Water Bill, and I will press for further reforms."

The Consumer Council for Water report data is available here.

As public anger mounts, it remains to be seen whether the government's proposed Special Measures Water Bill will be enough to address the deep-rooted issues plaguing the water industry.