As if it is not bad enough that UK households have seen a huge rise in the cost of gas, electricity, petrol and food within the past year, now water prices are set to rise by at least £20 within the coming year. This just adds to the financial strain under which consumers have been trying to deal with and the average water bill will rise from £356 annually to £376 which is a significant increase to already debt-laden households.
At the heart of the issue is water scarcity throughout the EU which prompted Lord Carter of Coles to say that governments must allow water costs to rise in order to overcome this problem. As Chairman of the Committee (The Lords Agriculture, Fisheries and Environment subcommittee in the EU), Carter was speaking to Europe as a whole, including the UK.
The Lords Committee issued a report entitled An Indispensible Resource which stated emphatically that urgent and immediate action is needed if the quality and availability of water in European countries and the UK are to be protected. However, contrary to what one would believe, this is not to provide funds to increase the availability of water. Rather, it should be adopted to ‘force’ households into conserving precious resources.
Similar measures had been adopted in the United States, Florida for example, when drought conditions called for water rationing. Not only were households not allowed to water lawns or wash vehicles, but they were also heavily fined if found in violation of these restrictions. This did help curb mindless use of water whilst water tables were restored over time.
Even so, many critics believe other measures should be adopted since families and businesses are already strapped by financial pressures in an area where the debt crisis is extreme. Raising water bills by £20 per year may not seem much, but many households are already operating under negative disposable income budgets.
