Water Charges
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the change in average household water bills on a family home in England in cash terms between (a) 2025 and (b) 2030; and what proportion of this change is (a) assumed inflation and (b) increases in charges other than inflation.
Answered by Emma Hardy
For too long, investment has not kept pace with the challenges of an ageing infrastructure system, a rapidly growing population and climate change.
It is Ofwat's responsibility to independently scrutinise water company business plans and ensure that the prices water companies charge their customers are fair and proportionate. Ofwat’s final determinations set out in December 2024 that bills in England and Wales will increase by an average £31 (or 36%) per year, before inflation, between 2025 and 2030. Individual bills will vary depending on the circumstances of each household: for instance, metered customers’ bills depend on their water use and non-metered customers’ bills can depend on the rateable value or assessed water use of the property.
Government expects water companies to ensure their customers know what support schemes are available and how to access them if they need help. Water companies have more than doubled the number of customers that will receive help with their bills through social tariffs – from 4% of customers supported in 2020-25, to 9% by 2030.
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