Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of introducing compulsory water metering of homes paying water bills based on rateable value.

Currently, individual water companies decide the best way to manage water demand issues, including their approach to metering. However, to inform their decisions, Defra issues guiding principles that set out our priorities, including our expectations of water companies to increase metering where appropriate. There are conditions that need to be met before a water company can compulsorily charge via a water meter. These conditions include a change of occupier, if the property is new, on the request of the householder and when the water company is in an area designated as under serious water stress.

Water companies in areas of serious water stress are already able to implement water metering programmes. Areas of “water stress” are outlined in the Environment Agency’s 2021 classification Water stressed areas – 2021 classification - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). These programmes must be justified by water companies and achieve customer support, striking the right balance between the need to protect water supplies and the importance of water companies reducing leakage before expanding the use of water meters.