Asked by: David Williams (Labour - Stoke-on-Trent North)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what oversight Ofwat exercises to ensure that unmetered fixed charges set by water companies are proportionate and do not disadvantage low‑occupancy and low‑usage households.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is working to make the charging system for water fairer in England. Unmetered charges for households are based on rateable values, which the Valuation Office has not updated since 1990. To provide greater billing fairness to household customers the Government is supporting the water industry to move unmetered customers over to metered charging, which will provide more accurate billing based on a customer’s usage. To maximise the benefits customers will get from metering, the Government is supporting regulators and the water companies to deliver approximately 10.4 million smart meters over 2025-30. This rollout involves all water companies in England, including Severn Trent.
Asked by: David Williams (Labour - Stoke-on-Trent North)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the adequacy and transparency of unmetered fixed charges set by water companies, including Severn Trent Water.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is working to make the charging system for water fairer in England. Unmetered charges for households are based on rateable values, which the Valuation Office has not updated since 1990. To provide greater billing fairness to household customers the Government is supporting the water industry to move unmetered customers over to metered charging, which will provide more accurate billing based on a customer’s usage. To maximise the benefits customers will get from metering, the Government is supporting regulators and the water companies to deliver approximately 10.4 million smart meters over 2025-30. This rollout involves all water companies in England, including Severn Trent.
Asked by: David Williams (Labour - Stoke-on-Trent North)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help prevent financial rewards for water company executives who oversee poor performance.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
As part of our Plan for Change, we have put water companies under special measures throughout landmark Water Act.
Ofwat’s new remuneration powers came into force this month. Unfair bonuses have been banned for senior water company executives responsible for serious harm to the environment.
A record 81 criminal investigations have been launched into sewage pollution; the biggest criminal action against water companies in history. Polluting water bosses who try to cover up their offences, now face up to two-year prison sentences.
We have also doubled the level of compensation available to customers for service failures.