A Department for Food, Education and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) Minister has glossed over Conservative Devon MPs joint letter which urges the department to reconsider axing the £50 water bill rebate for South West Water users. Regurgitating the Government’s same tired political rhetoric about ‘fixing the foundations’ and passing the buck, the Minister’s written response reveals that DEFRA will push ahead with the cuts.
Rebecca Smith MP, Sir Geoffrey Cox KC MP and David Reed MP joint letter explains that “the annual subsidy was introduced in 2013 to help bill payers in a region where water bills have typically been higher than the national average, and where average salaries have continued to trail behind the national average”. It goes on to add that “the scheme helped to keep customer bills as low as possible, particularly where South West Water sees demand for its services more than double, to cope with the needs of ten million tourists throughout the peak holiday season”. “Our constituents already contribute heavily towards South West Water's infrastructure costs”, they argue, “supporting over 860 miles of coastline and maintaining the high standard of 'Blue Flag' bathing beaches, with a third of those beaches located in the South West alone.”
In a joint statement Rebecca Smith MP, Sir Geoffrey Cox KC MP and David Reed MP respond:
We are disappointed by the Government's decision to ignore our appeals and press ahead with its plans to cut the £50 rebate for South West Water customers. The rebate was introduced to factor in our region's above-average water bills which maintain a third of the nation's bathing beaches on below-average salaries.
The Labour Government’s decisions are already making families pay more for their utility bills, with its 10% energy price cap hike and axing of the Winter Fuel Payment. This added cost imposed on the South West is beyond the pale.
Our joint letter makes clear, this political decision to once again ignore the needs of our region will hit the pockets of every family in our constituencies. We’re not asking for any special favours, just that the cost to keep Britain’s prized beaches clean is fairly distributed.
Residents in the Southwest face some of the highest water bills in the UK. Other utility bills have also ballooned after the energy price cap was raised 10% and the Winter Fuel Payment was axed. Household budgets will be squeezed further still by the latest figures out today, with a hike in energy bills increasing inflation more than expected to 2.3%. The Government, which had previously pledged to cut energy bills by "up to £300", are instead raising them.
This, the Conservative Devon MPs have repeatedly warned, will only serve to widen the gulf between the Southwest and the rest of the UK where annual salaries sit £921 below the national average. This feeds into the broader picture of a Budget which did not mention Southwest once.
