The Consumer Council for Water provides a strong national voice for consumers in a privatised water industry. 

The organisation is independent and has offices throughout England and Wales (including one in London) to keep in close contact with companies that provide water and sewerage services, and with consumers themselves.

Our job is to make sure the consumers’ collective voice is heard in the national water debate and that consumers are pushed to and then remain at the heart of the water industry.

We also take up consumers’ complaints if they have tried and failed to resolve issues with their water and sewerage companies.

Water on Tap

Consumers tell us we should have five key priorities: value for money, right first time, cleaning up, speaking up for water consumers and water on tap – providing a safe, secure and reliable supply of water that is valued by consumers and used wisely.

We continue to represent the consumer on the Defra-led Water Saving Group and have undertaken consumer research to discover which water saving messages are most effective at getting people to value water and use it more wisely.

We have encouraged the water industry to use this research to shape their future water efficiency communications activities and it has aided our development of a coordinated communications campaign to raise awareness of the need to value water and not waste it.

There is a lack of awareness as to why we should save water and consumers require advice on the simple, practical steps that would help them to reduce their usage.

One of the key ways to encourage water saving is by demonstrating how it can save consumers money. A clear message we have put across through the media is that if you are on a water meter, using less means paying less; and reducing hot water usage has the added benefit of reducing energy bills.

Water metering is now at the centre of the political agenda and is likely to be on the increase, particularly in areas of water stress, like the south and east of England because of the need to manage demand.

This of course comes with the caution that poorer families could pay much more on a meter and the Consumer Council for Water supports consumers’ views that the Government needs to support them through the tax and benefit system.

Contact the Consumer Council for Water on:

Tel:  0845 039 2837

Email:  enquiries@ccwater.org.uk

Website:  www.ccwater.org.uk