Stockport Express Column - December 2008

Pensioners Water Bills Slashed

10 December 2008

Getting good results for people in Stockport makes my job as an MP truly worthwhile.

This happened recently. During a series of visits to chat to pensioners living in sheltered accommodation in Stockport, I was shocked to discover that many were struggling to pay water bills as high as £400 a year. The irony was that they hardly used any water.

The residents had repeatedly asked the water company, United Utilities, if they could have a water meter installed. But they were turned down, for no good reason.

This did not seem fair. So I decided to conduct a survey of over 300 residents in 16 Stockport housing schemes to discover if the problem was widespread.

It turned out that it was. Many other residents, who were also low water users, were being charged a fortune for their water at the same time as being refused requests for meters.

Armed with these results, I met United Utilities bosses twice and pressed them to allow residents to have a meter, if they asked for one.

As a result of this intervention, people at Elm Court, Offerton and Runnymeade Court, Edgeley, have now been given meters, if they want one. They will now save up to £150 a year on bills, which in many cases will be slashed in half!

United Utilities have now promised me that it will examine its approach to metering in all Stockport housing schemes and has said that no-one will be refused a meter incorrectly.

This is great news as it means that hundreds more Stockport people will be able to have a meter installed and save money that they can ill afford to waste.