Here’s how we can fight back on water bills

Public fury at the water industry can be channelled to achieve lasting change (Letters, 14 July). There are parallels with the revolt that brought down the poll tax. Our campaign – Boycott Thames Water – seeks to overturn the false narrative that taking water back into public ownership is unaffordable.

If the Ofwat proposals pass, a water levy will be imposed on every household to pay for the failure of the water companies. The huge percentage hike, on top of inflation, will apply to everyone, irrespective of means. It is a poll tax in all but name. A government committed to fiscal propriety should not stand by and allow this. Many people simply cannot afford water to remain in the hands of rapacious private monopolies.

Supporters of groups like ours have been refusing to pay the wastewater element of their bill for months, sometimes years. Water companies cannot cut off domestic supplies, so long as we maintain a dispute they cannot take recovery action. The grounds for prolonging the dispute are many, from the fly‑tipping of our wastewater to the imposition of payment towards interest on their loans.

It is not coincidental that the poll tax and water privatisation happened around the same time. We hope a Labour government committed to change can be persuaded by mass action to return water to stewardship based on fairness and care for the environment. The next billing round will be October. The next step for angry consumers is to cancel their direct debit.
Paul Kaufman
Boycott Thames Water

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