TENS of thousands of households will see an essential bill automatically discounted this year as millions face hikes.
Around 90,000 Yorkshire Water customers will get the discount off their 2025/26 bill.
The help comes via the firm’s WaterSupport scheme, a social tariff for hard-up households.
All water firms offer social tariffs to those on low incomes or benefits which charge reduced amounts.
Yorkshire Water says that all of its 90,000 customers on the WaterSupport tariff will automatically receive a discounted tariff next year.
For 60,000 of them, it will be a physical bill reduction – making it lower than what they have paid this past year.
This will be applied automatically and customers won’t need to apply.
The average water bill for households in Yorkshire not on the Water Support scheme is rising by £135 over the next financial year.
The rise is the first of a number which will fund an £8.3billion investment programme over the next five years
Angie Markham-Nock, affordability strategy manager at Yorkshire Water, said: “The next five years are really important for us, for the environment, and for our customers, as we deliver an £8.3bn investment programme to help us meet expectations and regulatory requirements.
“We know that some of our customers are struggling with their bills, and will find increases to bills unmanageable, and this is why we’ve built additional financial support into our plans.”
Anyone eligible for the WaterSupport scheme will receive the discount on their water bill automatically and doesn’t need to apply.
[bc_video account_id=”5067014667001″ application_id=”” aspect_ratio=”16:9″ autoplay=”” caption=”Doubling Compensation for Water Issues: Government’s Big Move” embed=”in-page” experience_id=”” height=”100%” language_detection=”” max_height=”360px” max_width=”640px” min_width=”0px” mute=”” padding_top=”56%” picture_in_picture=”” player_id=”default” playlist_id=”” playsinline=”” sizing=”responsive” video_id=”6360279702112″ video_ids=”” width=”640px”]If you haven’t yet applied and are on a low income, you can via www.yorkshirewater.com/bill-account/help-paying-your-bill.
You can also call 0345 1399 299 if you don’t have access to the internet.
You might be eligible for WaterSupport if you live in a household with an income below £19,000 with an annual water bill over £364.
Yorkshire Water said it could not provide a figure for how much of a discount WaterSupport customers will get on their bills next financial year as it is applied based on individual household’s circumstances.
[authenticated-scripts src=”%3Cscript%20class%3D%22palin-poll%22%20src%3D%22https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thesun.co.uk%2Fpollingwidgets%2Fv3%2Fwidget.js%3Fquestion_id%3D105659%26game%3Dpolling%22%3E%3C%2Fscript%3E” type=”embedded” width=”100″ /]If you don’t live in Yorkshire, you can apply for a social tariff through your firm and save up to 90%.
Each company has its own eligibility criteria for these tariffs so whether you qualify varies based on where you live.
The latest figures from the Consumer Council for Water (CCW) reveal 1.6million low-income households are signed up to one.
To find out if you’re eligible for help, visit your water company’s website or call their customer service helpline.
WATER FIRMS HIKING BILLS
Water bills across England and Wales will rise by an average of £31 per year between 2025 and 2030.
This comes following a price review by the regulator Ofwat which set a limit on the amount water companies could charge customers.
Ofwat says the increases will pay for a £104billion upgrade of the water sector to deliver “substantial, lasting, improvements for customers and the environment”.
However, how much your water bill will rise depends on where you live as firms can hike prices individually.
United Utilities, which serves customers in Manchester and Liverpool, will see their bill rise by £143 over the next five years.
[iframe src=”https%3A%2F%2Fdatawrapper.dwcdn.net%2Fv3xhw%2F1%2F” height=”600″ /]The average bill for customers is currently £442 but this will now rise to £585.
Meanwhile, South West Water, which covers areas such as Devon and Cornwall will see their bill increase by £113 over the next five years, from £497 currently to £610.
The firm is run by Pennon, which also bought Sutton and East Surrey Water, but customers here will see their bills reduced by 3% over the next five years.
Currently locals in this area pay £221 but this will reduce to £215 come 2030.
You should be able to find how much your water bills are due to rise by going on your firm’s website.
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