“Although the recently published Water White Paper recognises that a majority-metered society is inevitable, it’s pretty silent on the consequences,” said Shuker. “For some families this will add to their financial burden. Metering is a good way of tackling scarcity, and it’s rapidly becoming the norm, so government will need to work to make sure water poverty doesn’t increase as a result. There’s little sign of any deep thinking on this from Defra .”
A poll of roundtable participants suggested the sector wanted more government involvement, either through a national scheme (22 per cent) or by making water firms subject to national minimum standards on social tariffs (50 per cent). Only 27 per cent supported Defra’s proposals for water companies to set strategy locally.
A commenter from Yorkshire Water called for “more explicit guidance on eligibility”. He told the roundtable that companies were “not best placed to determine social policy”.
Nicci Russell, policy director at Waterwise, agreed that a “piecemeal approach” would not help achieve water efficiency and affordability, nor would leaving it to “a variety of players with commercial imperatives”.
Christina Blackwell, policy manager at the Consumer Council for Water, said social tariffs alone would not solve the water affordability problem. “Customers are prepared to play their part, but only to a limited degree, which is not sufficient to fix the affordability gap,” she said.
by Megan Darby
Efficiency push must be evergreen
Water efficiency should be a permanent priority, not solely a drought response, panellists told the roundtable.
Metering was acknowledged as part of the solution but opinion was divided on how big a role it could play. Half of participants polled said metering should be mandatory nationally while half preferred a regional approach.
CCWater policy manager Christina Blackwell said the watchdog would push for a “long-term government commitment to encourage consumers to value water … not only during droughts”. She called for a concerted effort to effect behaviour change.
Andrew Tucker, water strategy manager at the Energy Saving Trust, agreed that there should be proactive awareness-raising about the water cycle.
Waterwise policy director Nicci Russell said the White Paper could have given “more concrete commitments” on efficiency.
See the debate at: http://bit.ly/xFkKV0
This article first appeared in Utility Week’s print edition of 20 January 2012.
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