News
BREAKING NEWS – Water bills slashed by 40-50% for some customers and not others, this is grossly unfair says Water Audit Experts at H20 Building Services
Water audit expert Graham Mann has just discovered that United Utilities (now Waterplus) has agreed to give Lancashire County Primary and Secondary schools discounts on their water bills of around 40% on the charges for waste water known as surface water and drainage charges.
These charges are based on the site area and they are for collection, treatment and disposal of rainwater falling onto roofs, paths and driveways.
United Utilities (now Waterplus) have bowed to pressure apparently by school leaders and local council chiefs over the last 2 years.
Graham Mann, Water Audit Expert at H20 Building Services understands a letter that was addressed to Turton Senor School at Lancashire County Council from Mr Steve Mogford a United Utilities executive had outlined that a “significant part” of the surface water charges were due to play ground surfaces and as such these faculties are “an essential part of the fabric of both school infrastructure and experience. Schools are likely to find it impractical to disconnect their play ground from the drainage system”
The overall basis of the case brought to United Utilities was the perceived inequalities in charges for Schools in Lancashire and the 100,000 schools in other water company areas where the charges can be 50% to 80% less in some cases.
Graham Mann states “Whilst I welcome any reduction in surface water charges which can be a significant amount of the overall water bill, I find it quite appalling that a water company can treat a small particular customer group differently than all of the other many thousands of public sector, charity and commercial customers.
What about for instance doctors surgeries, hospitals, universities, businesses, charities, if a company is going to slash surface water area banded charges by 40% to 50% in 2018 / 2019 and receive a credit for the current financial year then all the other customers should receive the same discounted charges and credits.
In all of our dealings with water companies on water billing reduction cases and overcharges on water bills they are always treating customers in the same way equally, in this instance I am afraid the water company have overstepped the mark as they have clearly shown preferential treatment and this is simply not allowed”