Water bills can be particularly high for families caring for a disabled child.
Talk to your water supplier
If you are unsure who supplies a property you can use this water checker to help you.
If you are struggling to pay your water bills you should contact your supplier in the first instance, as they offer a range of solutions.
- Sutton & East Surrey Water
- Thames Water
- Citizen‘s Advice have some useful information on dealing with water issues, including the WaterSure scheme.
Priority Services Register
If you are a Parent Carer with a disabled child, it is quite likely that your household will meet the criteria to register with your water supplier as a ‘priority customer’. Your supplier may offer you extra support that you may find helpful.
- Priority service from Thames Water
- Priority service from Sutton & East Surrey Water
Grants
If you have a large water bill or arrears, and you have not been able to get support from your water company then you could see if you are eligible for a grant.
Grants are ‘one-off’ payments which do not have to be paid back. However, grants are not a long term solution. You should seek advice to make sure you are getting all the support to which you are entitled and to help you to budget for your water bills in future.
Wimbledon Guild may consider providing a grant to cover a water bill.
Search for grants
Turn 2 us is a charity-run website with an easy-to-use grant search which tells you how to contact any suitable charities. You can register for a free account to send online enquiries and applications to charities through the site.
Lightening Reach can also let you know what grants (and other financial support) you might be eligible for, and help you apply.
Water saving advice
You may be able to reduce your water bills by saving water or having a water meter installed. Saving water can also help to cut down your energy bills.
The consumer council for water has a handy water meter calculator which you could use to find out whether you would be better off with a water meter. If you think that you may be, you can contact your water supplier to find out more.
These organizations have useful information on saving water:
