THE cost of water to Merseyside householders will soar to £10 a week, if the Government's regulator sanctions a £3.8bn spending programme.
THE cost of water to Merseyside householders will soar to £10 a week, if the Government's regulator sanctions a £3.8bn spending programme, the Daily Post can reveal today.
United Utilities is to submit its biggestever investment programme to Ofwat, the industry regulator.
The Warrington-based company says it needs to spend up to £3.8bn to meet higher drinking water and environmental standards demanded by both the British Government and Europe - with domestic and business users footing the bill.
For householders, it would see the year's average bill climbing from the current average of £245 to an estimated £550 - or £1.51 a day - by 2010.
People currently paying bigger water bills will be hit even harder, making Merseyside's water among the most expensive in the UK. Ofwat last night said it wanted water bills to rise by no more than single digits nationally.
But the regulator will not make a final decision on United Utilities' plans until November of next year when a figure for what it can charge customers will be announced.
United Utilities' managing director for customer sales, Bob Armstrong, said last night: "There will now be a long consultation process before Ofwat makes its decision in November, 2004. We will enter a period when people can influence the outcome."
Mr Armstrong admitted that the impact will be on customers, who will ultimately have to fund what is required.
"It will be a lot for people to pay and clearly significant in terms of possible increases.
"Arguably we pay the lowest in Europe for water and treatment services, and some people say we underpay and undervalue the resource."
Currently, the North West has the fifth highest water bills but Mr Armstrong admitted that the region could climb higher up the table under the proposed moves.
United Utilities is to submit its biggestever investment programme to Ofwat, the industry regulator.
The Warrington-based company says it needs to spend up to £3.8bn to meet higher drinking water and environmental standards demanded by both the British Government and Europe - with domestic and business users footing the bill.
For householders, it would see the year's average bill climbing from the current average of £245 to an estimated £550 - or £1.51 a day - by 2010.
People currently paying bigger water bills will be hit even harder, making Merseyside's water among the most expensive in the UK. Ofwat last night said it wanted water bills to rise by no more than single digits nationally.
But the regulator will not make a final decision on United Utilities' plans until November of next year when a figure for what it can charge customers will be announced.
United Utilities' managing director for customer sales, Bob Armstrong, said last night: "There will now be a long consultation process before Ofwat makes its decision in November, 2004. We will enter a period when people can influence the outcome."
Mr Armstrong admitted that the impact will be on customers, who will ultimately have to fund what is required.
"It will be a lot for people to pay and clearly significant in terms of possible increases.
"Arguably we pay the lowest in Europe for water and treatment services, and some people say we underpay and undervalue the resource."
Currently, the North West has the fifth highest water bills but Mr Armstrong admitted that the region could climb higher up the table under the proposed moves.
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To pay for improvements, you fool
29.08.2003 18:19
Glug
You're missing the point...
30.08.2003 13:16
And of course, within the capitalist system, as you rightly said, such changes have to be paid for. And oh, we'll pay alright. But then my post wasn't so much an attack on United Utilities or anyone in particular, but the capitalist system in general. Water is essential for survival - our bodies are mostly made-up of it - yet we not only have to pay for it, we will soon have to pay twice as much. People who are already struggling to make ends meet will have to struggle that little bit harder.
That's all.
Ad Nauseum
We have to pay?
01.09.2003 11:25
Environmental loveliness? Give us a break.
AndyO'C
Yes, you have to pay
01.09.2003 19:32
Of course, if the water market were totally deregulated and opened to unfettered competition (instead of the current regional monopolies) then prices would fall as different suppliers try to attract your business: let's hear it for free market competion!
Glug
Three Letters: PFI
03.09.2003 15:59
Basicly, Privatisation....... you could call it Austerity, like what the World Bank and IMF (&smartass economists) order 3rd-world Govts. to do
You see, United Utilities -Which baught North West Water- keeps getting done for dumping raw sewerage into the Mersey on the sly; providing water 'unfit for human consumption' and things like that: Now has the cheek to try a price-hike on us!
A price-hike for 'improvements' ( to Bechtel -which makes pipelines-, United Utilities' Owners/Shareholders &Execs' finances-profits-salery)
Oh -they have tried that shit before already:
United Utilities (U.U) and U.S-based giant Bechtel jointly ran 'International Water'(I.W) (corporate headquarters also in Warrington). I.W, got this deal (through corporate lobbying, -and the fact that the IMF pushes 3rd world for cuts &/or privatization-'Or-Else')...they got this deal to take over the public water supply of (a city:) Copachabamba, Bolivia -which, after ------massive price-hikes------, caused mass demonstrations which eventually forced the privatization to be REVERSED!!!!
(U.U works closely with Bechtel -you know- the massive company that makes power stations, secret military bases, chemical(+weapons)factories, oil pipelines etc-'infrastructure' and wants to take over Iraq's 'infrastructure'-read OIL: Pipelines, Power stations... OIL INDUSTRY -at least mainly)
U.U as the earlier commentry so succinctly put it -can fuck-off,
And furthermore -Lets force the issue, because it isn't likely to be improvements; more like Pillage. And we've got to stop them, just like in Copachabamba.
Jamy
Water improvements mean fluoridation!
07.09.2003 01:51
christina hespe
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christinahespe@breathemail.net