South West Water continues support for customers through cost-of-living crisis
02nd February 2023
South West Water is keeping increases to its average household bill for water and wastewater services for 2023/24 well below inflation, alongside record levels of investment.
Today, the company has announced that the average bill will be increasing by less than £5, to ensure they remain affordable during the cost-of-living crisis.
The average household bill for water and wastewater services for 2023/24 will be £476, compared to £472 last year.
South West Water’s Chief Customer and Digital Officer, Laura Flowerdew, said: “We understand the challenges of the cost-of-living crisis for our customers, which is why we have worked hard to minimise any increases. We strive to help any customers who need it, and we encourage any customers who are worried about their bill to get in touch and see what additional support we can offer.”
Whilst South West Water’s first focus is always on keeping bills low, it is also undertaking a wide range of initiatives to help customers during these challenging times.
This year the company has supported customers with £68 million of benefits, providing a range of support measures for customers struggling to pay their bills and vulnerable customers, with over 79,000 customers expected to access financial support between April 2020 and April 2023.
In direct response to the cost-of-living crisis, South West Water’s parent company, Pennon, accelerated the release of their second WaterShare+ issuance, with customers further able to benefit from a bill reduction or the opportunity to take a stake in the business, giving them a greater say in their local water company.
As the largest employer in the region, South West Water can help in other ways too, having just announced plans to double its apprenticeship and graduate programmes to 1,000 by 2030, and offering 5,000 work placements for children over the same period.
By April this year 42,000 customers will have been taken out of water poverty through South West Water’s support tariffs as part of its industry-leading ambition to eradicate water poverty by 2025.
Customers will also continue to benefit from the £50 Government Contribution for 2023/24.
For further information please contact:
Sharing our success: South West Water’s five-year ‘New Deal’ plan for 2020-25 was described by the industry regulator Ofwat as setting “a new standard for the sector”.
A feature of the New Deal is WaterShare+, our unique scheme which shares our success with customers and gives them a greater say in our business. Thanks to our performance between 2015 and 2020 we were able to share approximately £20 million with customers across the Pennon group under WaterShare+ for the second time last year, meaning that each eligible customer received £13 from us as either a reduction in their bill, or as shares in our parent company, Pennon.
Stop the Drop - In December 2022, in a first of its kind customer incentive scheme, South West Water gave every household customer in Cornwall £30 off their bill after coming together to help Stop the Drop in reservoir levels and saving water to allow Colliford Reservoir to recharge to 30% storage capacity by 31 December 2022.