MP presents petition in Parliament against ‘unfair’ retrospective water charges
A Rotherham MP has presented a petition in Parliament calling for Yorkshire Water to drop a £47 retrospective charge imposed on residents.
The petition, which was signed by more than 1,000 constituents in just over a week, was presented in Parliament by Rother Valley MP Jake Richards on April 2. The charge was imposed following a billing error by Yorkshire Water, which led to hundreds of households being asked to pay £46.65 for sewage repairs that should have been included in their previous annual bill.
In his speech, Mr Richards voiced strong concerns about the impact of this charge on already struggling households. “I rise to present a petition about a £47 retrospective charge that Yorkshire Water has unfairly given residents across my constituency, due to the water company’s own mistake,” he said. “That comes on top of rising bills, record profits, and excessive executive pay. I urge Yorkshire Water to think again, to be reasonable, and for once to put my constituents first.”
Richards also emphasised the financial strain caused by the charge, especially during a time of rising costs for families across the region. “With prices high right now, people need to be able to plan ahead – unforeseen costs cause stress and force people to make tough decisions elsewhere.”
The retrospective charge stems from a mistake in Yorkshire Water’s billing system, which resulted in some customers being undercharged for wastewater services. Yorkshire Water has stated that they are simply collecting the underpayment on behalf of Severn Trent Water, which provides wastewater services to certain areas. However, residents have expressed frustration at being asked to pay for the water company’s error, especially in light of ongoing infrastructure issues in the area, such as frequent flooding and burst pipes.
A spokesperson for Yorkshire Water issued an apology, acknowledging the error and explaining the situation. “We’re sorry about the frustration that has been caused by the additional charge that customers who receive clean water services from Yorkshire Water and wastewater services from Severn Trent Water have seen on their bills,” they said.
The company clarified that the charge is a result of an underpayment from the previous year, which was discovered through a billing error. They explained that Severn Trent Water had asked for the underpayment to be recovered, and Yorkshire Water was obligated to pass the charge on to its customers.
Severn Trent Water, which supplies wastewater services to certain Yorkshire Water customers, explained that,due to this arrangement, they required the missed charge to be collected. The company stated that if the underpayment were not recovered, it would create an unfair situation where affected customers would not pay for services used, potentially leading to higher tariffs for all customers. This, they argue, would go against industry guidelines set by the water regulator, OFWAT, which aims to ensure fairness in the pricing structure across all customers.
Jake Richards has promised to continue advocating for local residents and pushing for changes that will protect them from unfair charges. “I will continue to raise local frustrations at every opportunity,” he stated. “This is just one of many issues that need to be addressed, and I will not stop until we see real action from Yorkshire Water.”