Water companies licence to print money
This article was written by an Action Network user not the BBC
Updated: 15 Sep 2006
By daoud jibreel, Cardiff
"Hi people
well here's the next reply in the Water company SAGA! ENJOY
Dear Mr Gabriel
A property with a rateable value of 173 would have received a bill for this year 2006/2007 of £435.04 (assuming the property receives both a water and sewerage service).
Calculated as follows: Water standing charge 99.95 (applies regardless of RV)RV 173 x 0.5683 98.32 (rateable value multiplier)Less customer dividend 9.50 (credit per service)188.77Sewerage standing charge 124.62RV 173 x 0.7581 131.15Less customer dividend 9.50246.27188.17 + 246.27 = 435.04
A property with a rateable value of 136 for 2006/2007 would be £350.18 (again assuming both services are provided).
Calculated as follows:
Water standing charge 99.95RV 136 x 0.5683 77.29Less customer dividend 9.50167.74
Sewerage standing charge 124.62RV 136 x 0.7581 103.10Less customer dividend 9.50218.22167.74 + 218.22 = 385.96(this is different to the above figure Bev???????)
I am not insisting you use Speak Easy money advice centre I was simply offering you an alternative to the Citizens Advice Bureau. Our Customer Assistance Fund is a Dwr Cymru fund, provided on a voluntary basis. Certain terms and conditions apply. Applications must be completed in full, endorsed by a money advice centre and customers must agree to pay the current years charges. If you wish to be considered for the fund these are the conditions, they are not negotiable.
The income and expenditure form is consistent with any application for a means tested benefit and is used to illustrate that you have sufficient funds to pay current charges but not to pay current charges and the arrears.
Our Customer Assistance Fund applications are subject to strict audit procedures and we must comply with the terms and conditions set.
Water butts are available from several outlets including most DIY stores. Installing a water butt is a matter of personal choice and many of our customers (particularly those on a meter) use water butts to collect water to use on their gardens etc.
Your MP/AM and Ofwat have suggested you have a meter and this is a valid option for you to consider. One person, living alone who is has average user, on a meter, uses approximately 63 cubic meters of water per year (as with all averages some will use more, some less). This would equate to a bill of around £210.00 per year, which is considerably less than your current annual charge.
If this is something you wish to consider please contact our customer call centre on 0800 052 0145 and they will guide you through the process. Meters are installed with 3 months of the request and the unmeasured charges apply up to the day the meter is installed.
I am more than happy to answer any valid questions you have about water and sewerage services however I will not enter into any debate about any disputes you have with Social Services, local and central government etc. I would therefore ask that you confine your questions to matters within the remit of Dwr Cymru in any future correspondence.
RegardsBev Davies
Hello everybody n Bev
firstly, thank you Bev I have been waiting for this information for 7yrs, very serious questions ought ideally to be asked of those officials MP n AM n CC who have not requested it on my behalf but I doubt that they will be subject to such scrutiny (eh Doc Gibbon).
So a non-divided 3 bedroom house is charged £435.04 a 3 bedroom divided property is charged £771.92 a difference of £336.88 I claim that there is no probable ussage difference due to sub-division, everyone tells me get a meter if your not happy, I wonder if now now now! someone might agree with me that this ability of the water companies to increase their charge like this is inherently wrong.
That what ever legislation allows them to do this is flawed, as (and you will recall the Bose email), a high percentage of vulnerable adults live in these type of properties, just ask housing associations how many of their properties are former houses turned into flats, or how many of the private landlords proprerties are houses of multiple occupancy you know the ones who are getting £432,000.00 in housing benefit payments a year???(see blog highest paid private landlords in cardiff).
Alot of vulnerable adults all getting systematically swindled, just like me at this property now,by the water companies. But do I expect anyone will raise the question of the Social Services minister as to why he refused to get this information on my behalf, or why he doesn't have the welfare of his client groups at heart, by insuring that this abuse will stop????
I really want to know why it is that that the normal house charge is not just divided by the number of Sub-tenancies if we are really to believe the politician when they say they want to close the divide between the haves and the have nots, then my bill would be £217.52 per annum a difference to me of £168.44 p.a. nearly two weeks income at my benefit level after Dwr cymru have had their slice.(note Bev's figure for a metered charge, hardly any difference is there).
£168.44 x 7yrs = £1,179.08 would be the overcharge a not insubstantial sum, infact pritty close to the combined figure of this years bill plus what they say I owe them, unfortunately I havent brought that document to the library with me today.
As for the water butts Bev when your living in social exclusion you don't have the means to go purchase such items in DIY stores or the transport to bring them home, you look for stuff that others are throwing away.
But the councils you might assume would assist in this but they do not, the only water butt I every got from the council had a hole deliberately placed in the bottom, but thats another issue entirely, and I am sorry to raise those things in our correspondence but you have noted to who else these emails are addressed, and so it serves more than just the one purpose of asking for my debt to be written off.
Something easily able to justify to your auditor, on low income and regular payment grounds, and to be truthful with you Bev I do not keep an account of where my money goes and I am not going to start now, it varies from season to season and what needs doing and what I will not be doing because of one thing or the other.
So you co-addresseeee do you need any further information to agree that the legislation surrounding houses of multiple occupancy as far as water charges go really really really needs addressing??????????? Or are you content for this daylight robbery to continue, and just how many of you have share interest in water companies.
P.S. I appollogize to Dame Hine for misspelling her name in the previous emails.
Vulnerable ADULTS ought to be protected from this greed, and given assistance from the enabling agencies to reduce their housing costs, especially when they take up the option of a water meter, by the supply of roof water collection systems, as either barrels or specifically designed containers that feed into the house.
I hope this changes your directors minds regarding my so called debt Bev or my need to approach any other so called (CAB ha!) enabling agency.
Love n Light Crazydave. David Gabriel."
For a full list of blogs go to welsh assembly the crazydave files http://bbccrazydave.blogspot.com/
Breaks the Action Network rules? Complain
Found in:
Crime & justice
Democracy & government
Health
Money, business & work
Science, technology & innovation
Society & welfare
Northern Ireland
Scotland
England
Wales
Cardiff
Share your views and experiences.
Write an article
