My View: Water Affordability and Independent Age

Thank you to everyone who contacted me about a single social tariff for water, and Independent Age UK’s campaign.

I know water bills are a difficult issue for many people, and I share concerns about these. It is important that customers get value for money from their water bills and that support is available for those who need it.

I am pleased by our Government’s reforms to WaterSure, announced in March. 53,000 more low-income households will be eligible for savings and existing recipients should receive up to an extra £100 in savings. I know vulnerable households are particularly affected by cost-of-living pressures, and these reforms will make a meaningful difference to over 300,000 families who need support the most.

The water sector is offering the highest levels of social tariffs on record, with an average of £640 million between 2025 and 2030 available for low-income customers.

I expect water companies to ensure their customers know about available support. I support our Government as it works to improve the guidance for social tariffs, exploring consistency across schemes and increasing awareness and uptake of the support on offer. Our Government expects companies to hold themselves accountable for their public commitment to end water poverty by 2030.

More widely, I welcome efforts to clean up our polluted waterways. I look forward to the upcoming Clean Water Bill announced in the King’s Speech in May. This builds on our Government’s January 2026 White Paper on water reform, which sets out once-in-a-generation reforms to build a water system fit for the future. We must never lose sight of who these reforms are for. I am pleased the White Paper puts consumers and the environment first. I look forward to their implementation as they all help keep costs fair for customers in the long-term by securing better value for money.

Measures will introduce prevention-first regulation, including a new single water regulator, an MOT approach to protect and restore water company infrastructure and a new performance improvement regime for water companies. I support plans for an independent water ombudsman to resolve consumer disputes fairly, the wider roll-out of smart meters and new water efficiency labelling for appliances.

I also look forward to the promised joint Transition Plan to be published this year jointly with the Welsh Government. This will provide a roadmap for the transformation of the water industry regulatory framework and a stable platform for reform.