Water sector criticises ‘difficult’ divisions in social tariffs

There are “difficult” divisions and a disjoint between the social tariffs being offered to households by the water only companies and the water and sewerage companies, according to the companies themselves.

Vulnerable customers receiving water and wastewater services from different companies are not offered consistent social tariffs for both, as the different companies operate different tariffs with different requirements.

Speaking at the Consumer Council for Water’s (CCWater) London and South East public meeting on Thursday afternoon, Affinity Water director of customer relations and business services Vincent Muldoon, said there needs to be “joined up thinking” between the companies.

He added that of the 16,000 households that have signed up to Affinity Water’s social tariff, only 40 have been put onto Thames Water’s sewerage social tariff scheme.

“What we’re finding is different financial thresholds, and a different approach to it,” Muldoon added.

“We’ve got a big disjoint. We are trying to get commonality. It’s difficult and we’re certainly not there yet.”

Sutton and East Surrey Water head of customer service Jeremy Downer added “it is unfortunate we are where we are” with each company having differing social tariff schemes, but that each company created its own scheme best suited to its own customers’ requirements.

Southern Water director of strategy and regulation Simon Oates said the differences between the schemes are as a result of them being “designed in isolation”.

He added that Southern Water is “actively engaged” with the water providers in the region and if one company has a more successful social tariff scheme he would have “no problems” in adopting their model.

South East Water asset and regulation director David Hinton said there was no need for slightly differing scheme because “all the customers are not that different”.

He voiced support for a national social tariff, such as the one being proposed by Labour, that the water companies “align up to” and remove the existing “multiple overlaps”.