Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 9 July 2025 to Question 64455 on Water Charges, whether households are able to opt-out of pilots on (a) rising block tariffs and progressive water metering and (b) seasonal water metering.

The Government is committed to delivering for customers. Following the Independent Water Commission report, the Government will establish a new statutory water ombudsman - a single, free service to help customers resolve complaints such as incorrect bills. Additionally, the amount of compensation customers are legally entitled to when key standards are not met has been more than doubled. Further updates to the Guaranteed Standards Scheme are due to come into force in October.

Several water companies are currently trialling a range of charging approaches, such as seasonal tariffs and rising block tariffs. Through these trials the sector will learn how to best support customers with their water bills.

Companies are responsible for their own charges and for designing and running their trials to test new charging structures. Companies can design their trials in a range of ways within the good practice principles for charging trials outlined by Ofwat.

In designing their trials, companies are required to consult with the Consumer Council for Water to ensure that safeguards are in place to protect vulnerable consumers or exclude them from trials where appropriate.