Committee publication · Correspondence · 10 July 2026
Letter from the Director of Communications and Policy at CCW relating to regulation of water, energy and broadband, 6 July 2026
Summary
CCW writes to clarify debt drivers in the water sector following parliamentary questioning. It explains that water's non-disconnection policy means customers deprioritise water bills relative to disconnectable utilities, and debt advisers similarly rank water arrears lower. CCW notes research shows water is treated as essential, but absence of service-loss threat alters payment behaviour.
Key findings
- Water customers treat water as an essential bill with high priority, but the inability to disconnect means they don't receive warning letters that would motivate payment—unlike other utilities.
- Debt advisers prioritise debts where service withdrawal is possible, placing water arrears lower in the repayment hierarchy despite water being essential.
- Debt advisers' standard practice is to prioritise current charges across all essential services over arrears payments.
- CCW research (Water Worries 2025 and Affordability Review 2021) documents customer awareness gaps regarding water disconnection policy.
Tone
FactualTopics
water-regulationconsumer-debtessential-services
Key actors
Ali Bell, Sarah Olney MP, Chris Walters, Consumer Council for Water (CCW)
Notable line
“Because water disconnection isn't an option, customers never receive a letter to say they will lose their water supply.”
Key Quotes
“Because water disconnection isn't an option, customers never receive a letter to say they will lose their water supply. That tends to drive behaviour where other bills - where loss of service is a possibility or even threatened - are prioritised.”
“Where customers seek support from debt advice organisations, those advisers will give priority to debts where services can be withdrawn (or worse). So logically water debt is lower down the pecking order.”
“CCW research has generally tended to find that the starting point for most customers is to treat water as an essential bill with high priority. The inability to disconnect doesn't tend to be something most consumers are aware of or actively consider.”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗