3 days Ago By [email protected] (Damon Wilkinson)
Water bills in Greater Manchester will increase by 32% over the next five years, regulator Ofwat has said. It's equivalent to an average extra of £29 per year per household - significantly higher than the expected £19 hike. The increases will begin to kick-in from April next year.
But figures released by Ofwat revealed United Utilities had hoped to increase bills by even more . The water company had asked for a 37% rise by 2030. But, despite the average £28 a year increase figure, households will face a heavy average hike of £77 in the next year, excluding inflation, with smaller percentage increases in each of the next four years.
Across England and Wales average bill will rise by a total of £157 or 36% over the next five years. Ofwat said the increase would pay for a £104 billion upgrade of the water sector to deliver 'substantial, lasting, improvements for customers and the environment'. Chief executive David Black said: "Today marks a significant moment.
It provides water companies with an opportunity to regain customers’ trust by using this £104 billion upgrade to turn around their environmental record and improve services to customers. "Water companies now need to rise to this challenge, customers will rightly expect them to show they can deliver significant improvement over time to justify the increase in bills. "Alongside the step up in investment, we need to see a transformation in companies’ culture and performance.
We will monitor and hold companies to account on their investment programmes and improvements. "We recognise it is a difficult time for many, and we are acutely aware of the impact that bill increases will have for some customers. That is why it is vital that companies are stepping up their support for customers who struggle to pay.
" Environment Secretary Steve Reed blamed the 14 years of Conservative government for the state of the water industry after the regulator announced bills would increase on average by more than a third over the next five years. He said: “Under the Conservatives , our sewage system crumbled. They irresponsibly let water companies divert customers’ money to line the pockets of their bosses and shareholders.
The public are right to be angry after they have been left to pay the price of Conservative failure. “This Labour Government will ringfence money earmarked for investment so it can never be diverted for bonuses and shareholder payouts. We will clean up our rivers, lakes and seas for good.
” Overall, this will increase average household bills by £142 from 2024-2025 to 2029-30 for United Utilities customers, before inflation. This includes an average rise of £77 between 2024-25 and 2025-26..
