Wessex Water joins scheme to help over-60s cut bills

Wessex Water has joined forces with Citizens Advice and Age UK to help the over-60s manage their money more efficiently and cut their water bills.

The ‘Waterworks’ scheme is being run by money advice specialist Yvonne Parks, and looks at how Wessex Water customers can lower their bills by switching to a cheaper tariff.

Waterworks sessions will explain the benefits of Wessex Water’s social tariff, as well as offering benefits checks to make sure people are claiming everything they are entitled to and tips about how to cut the cost of other household bills.

Wessex social policy manager Kate Pennock said: “We are committed to supporting customers by funding money management and financial capability projects.

“We’re pleased to be working directly with South Gloucestershire Citizens Advice on the Waterworks project. They have excellent advisors who can help provide face-to-face advice and practical support.

“We want to ensure customers are receiving all the information they need to enable them to have financial security and confidence to spend money as they need to.”

Wessex was the first water company to introduce a formal social tariff based on abilities to pay – the tailored assistance programme (TAP).

Earlier this year, the water industry announced that the average household water and sewerage bill in England and Wales for 2016/17 will be £389 – an increase of £2 (less than 1 per cent) compared with the previous year. At the time, Ofwat urged water companies to do more to help customers who are struggling to pay their water bills.

The regulator also released a report saying that although there has been a “big increase” in support for vulnerable customers, the sector still has a “long way to go” to meet customers’ needs.

In March, water and energy companies announced they were teaming up to share information with vulnerable customers, to make them aware of all the help available to them from their utility companies.