Water bills to be cut for low income families after Lib Dem initiative

2.09.00pm GMT Tue 26th Jan 2010

Water bills or families on low incomes should fall following a Lib Dem initiative in Parliament

Thousands of Brummies could pay less for their water bills thanks to an agreement that social tariffs should be used to cut the water bills for families on low incomes.

Ministers have promised to introduce social tariffs after the Liberal Democrats introduced a new clause into the Flood & Water Management Bill which is currently before Parliament.

Currently only 24,000 households nationwide benefit from the WaterSure scheme that provides assistance to vulnerable people with their water bills despite estimate that 3000,000 households could be eligible.

Welcoming the news, Cllr Ann Holtom, parliamentary candidate for Birmingham Erdington said: "I am delighted that millions nationwide including thousands of Brummies could benefit from reduced water bills when a new "rebate" scheme is introduced".

"With so many pressures on family budgets it is right that we take action now to protect the most vulnerable customers, particularly in areas where low incomes combine with high water bills".