Skip to main content

Written question asked by Tulip Siddiq (Labour) on Wednesday, 28 January 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 2 February 2026. It was answered by Emma Hardy (Labour) on Wednesday, 4 February 2026 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.


Water Charges

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle excessive household water bills based on rateable values.

Answer

The Government has set out in the Water White Paper a commitment to accelerate the smart meter rollout. This includes maximising cost savings to customers by moving customers away from a ratable value to a smart metered charge. Smart meters also provide data to increase leakage identification and reduction and provide customers with insights into their water usage.

Ofwat has also announced a competition, closing in March, as part of its £25 million Water Efficiency Lab to enable better data insights on water usage for customers, this includes those customers who cannot have a meter fitted and are reliant on ratable values.


Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
109166
Session
2024-26
Subjects
Water charges
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk