A partnership between Lambeth Council, Thames Water, and Policy in Practice has provided low-income households with water bill support worth more than £814,000, offering much-needed relief amid rising living costs.
Cllr Judith Cavanagh, Lambeth’s cabinet member for finance, said: “Cost of living pressures still present huge challenges for far too many of our residents, so it’s essential that they get all the support they need.
“In Lambeth, we are still working hard to ensure everyone facing financial difficulties get everything they’re entitled to through our Free School Meal opt-out schemes, energy support programmes and income maximisation support through our Financial Link Workers.
“But, by working in partnership like this, we can guarantee even more financial help reaches the people who need it most.
“I’m delighted that, through this scheme alone, over two thousand households are sharing more than £800,000 in additional support.”
The support comes as water bills rose by an average of £123, or 26 per cent, across the sector in the last year.
This approach is the first of its kind, using data sharing to identify eligible households who are then automatically enrolled into Thames Water’s affordability schemes without needing to apply.
Policy in Practice, a software and data analytics company, supported the project by analysing Lambeth Council’s administrative data and cross-referencing it with Thames Water’s arrears information.
This identified households that qualified for support but had not yet accessed it.
As a result, 2,010 households in Lambeth have been enrolled onto social tariffs, giving them an average annual discount of £405.
The support comes through Thames Water schemes such as WaterHelp and WaterSure.
Of those supported, 1,994 households qualified for WaterHelp, while 16 were added to WaterSure.
An additional 284 households were enrolled onto the Extra Support Scheme, which offers up to £700 off water bill arrears.
Nina White, director of income at Thames Water, said: “We are passionate about supporting customers who are struggling to pay their bills and this partnership with Policy in Practice allows us to reach thousands of Londoners who previously may have been unaware that our WaterHelp scheme can help them.
“We’re looking forward to the rollout extending to 18 boroughs across London, with customers enrolled on the scheme automatically if eligible.”
A pilot in Richmond and Wandsworth identified 2,500 eligible customers, saving an average of nearly £400 per household per year and delivering a combined total of around £500,000 in bill reductions.
Deven Ghelani, director and founder of Policy in Practice, said: “Rising water bills put real pressure on families already struggling to make ends meet.
“By using data to identify and automatically support households who are eligible, our partnership with Thames Water and local authorities ensures help reaches people quickly, without the burden of navigating complex application processes.
“It’s a positive step that sets a strong example for the sector.”
Following the success of the pilot, the scheme is now being rolled out across 18 London boroughs, with total financial support expected to exceed £10 million.
