Rises in the pipeline
The companies say the money is needed to invest in new pipes and cut down on leakage. Altogether the 24 companies will invest £27 billion over the five year period. But critics say that customers should not have to pay for this new infrastructure which shareholders, not customers, will own. Utility consultants McKinnon and Clarke comments "the well run water companies have implemented a planned programme of investment and are not expecting to pass on any increases to their customers. Why can some do it and the others can’t?"
Top of the increases in sewerage charges is Southern Water which wants to put them up by a fifth on top of inflation over the next five years. Customers would face a total increase of £51 in the average £230 bill. Bristol Water it wants a record rise in its water charges of more than a quarter adding £39 by 2014 onto next year’s average bill of £148.
Ofwat will not make a final decision on the companies’ plans and charges until autumn 2009. Any increases will be on top of the average 5.8% rise in the average water and sewerage bill across England and Wales this year and a planned above inflation rise in 2009.
In Scotland the charges by the nationalised Scottish Water have risen by less than inflation and will continue to rise at or below inflation until 2014. In Northern Ireland domestic customers do not pay directly for water and sewerage but the Executive plans to introduce them in April 2009.
Many older people could cut their water bills if they used a meter rather than paying the fixed water rate. Meters will be fitted free by all the water companies in England and Wales. In Scotland a charge may be made.
WATER CHARGES - proposed increases 2010-2015 | ||||||
Average household bill | Increase | |||||
Company | Service | 2009/10 | 2014/15 | increase | over 5 years | % per year |
Southern Water | Sewerage | £230.00 | £281.00 | £51.00 | 22.2% | 4.1% |
Thames Water | Sewerage | £113.00 | £134.00 | £21.00 | 18.6% | 3.5% |
Yorkshire Water | Sewerage | £167.00 | £182.00 | £15.00 | 9.0% | 1.7% |
South West Water | Sewerage | £267.76 | £290.88 | £23.12 | 8.6% | 1.7% |
United Utilities | Sewerage | £191.00 | £203.00 | £12.00 | 6.3% | 1.2% |
Anglian Water | Sewerage | £200.33 | £209.28 | £8.95 | 4.5% | 0.9% |
Welsh Water | Sewerage | £225.00 | £233.00 | £8.00 | 3.6% | 0.7% |
Northumbrian Water North | Sewerage | £159.00 | £157.00 | -£2.00 | -1.3% | -0.3% |
Wessex Water | Sewerage | £194.00 | £190.00 | -£4.00 | -2.1% | -0.4% |
Severn Trent | Sewerage | £142.00 | £137.00 | -£5.00 | -3.5% | -0.7% |
Bristol Water | Water | £148.00 | £187.00 | £39.00 | 26.4% | 4.8% |
Sutton & East Surrey Water | Water | £153.00 | £193.00 | £40.00 | 26.1% | 4.8% |
Cambridge Water | Water | £114.36 | £137.46 | £23.10 | 20.2% | 3.7% |
South East Water | Water | £160.08 | £192.34 | £32.26 | 20.2% | 3.7% |
Southern Water | Water | £122.00 | £146.00 | £24.00 | 19.7% | 3.7% |
United Utilities | Water | £160.00 | £186.00 | £26.00 | 16.3% | 3.1% |
Tendring Hundred Water | Water | £162.11 | £184.99 | £22.88 | 14.1% | 2.7% |
Thames Water | Water | £171.00 | £195.00 | £24.00 | 14.0% | 2.7% |
Folkestone & Dover Water Services | Water | £180.20 | £203.91 | £23.71 | 13.2% | 2.5% |
Bournemouth and West Hampshire Water | Water | £125.00 | £141.00 | £16.00 | 12.8% | 2.4% |
Three Valleys Water | Water | £149.00 | £167.00 | £18.00 | 12.1% | 2.3% |
Essex & Suffolk Water | Water | £158.00 | £177.00 | £19.00 | 12.0% | 2.3% |
South Staffordshire Water | Water | £115.04 | £127.95 | £12.91 | 11.2% | 2.1% |
Northumbrian Water North | Water | £123.00 | £133.00 | £10.00 | 8.1% | 1.6% |
Portsmouth Water | Water | £87.71 | £93.92 | £6.21 | 7.1% | 1.4% |
Wessex Water | Water | £188.00 | £199.00 | £11.00 | 5.9% | 1.1% |
South West Water | Water | £193.93 | £204.82 | £10.89 | 5.6% | 1.1% |
Severn Trent | Water | £147.00 | £155.00 | £8.00 | 5.4% | 1.1% |
Dee Valley Water | Water | £120.57 | £126.87 | £6.30 | 5.2% | 1.0% |
Anglian Water | Water | £159.87 | £164.19 | £4.32 | 2.7% | 0.5% |
Welsh Water | Water | £165.00 | £157.00 | -£8.00 | -4.8% | -1.0% |
Yorkshire Water | Water | £145.00 | £135.00 | -£10.00 | -6.9% | -1.4% |
Source: Ofwat
Further information: www.ofwat.gov.uk
Car tales
There were red ones, there were black ones. And some fetched more than a million dollars. But the record price of $7.92 million (£4.2 million) was paid for a 71 year old car painted in the colour of camouflage trousers – pale green with fawn highlights. The record breaking 1937 Bugatti roadster was sold at the annual auction of fine old vehicles at Pebble Beach in California in August. Overall the auction took around £16 million showing that the money available to buy the very best items at auction is as high as ever, despite the credit crunch.
More at
http://goodingco.com/main.htmlAt the other end of the scale 70 year old James Jones of Ohio made the news when he bought a new Chevrolet for $16,000 (£8600) and paid half the cost in coins! Mr Jones is quoted as saying "paper money will burn. But it is hard to damage coins". He bought rolls of coins every month and saved them in coffee tins. Staff took an hour and a half to count them. Oddly, he paid the balance by cheque.
New age discrimination laws
The Government insists though that the change will make a big difference. It will, for example, prevent doctors refusing treatment on grounds of age. And stop finance companies imposing a blanket ban on loans or credit cards to older people. There will be further consultation on the details and it could be some years before the changes come into effect.
More information
www.equalities.gov.ukIHT – put life assurance in trust
PIN down that code!