The Water Industry (Charges) (Vulnerable Groups) (Consolidation) Regulations 2015

Assistance to be provided

3.—(1) Subject to regulation 5, a water or sewerage undertaker’s charges scheme must ensure that the charges of any consumer who has established their entitlement to assistance in accordance with regulation 4 in relation to any premises—

(a) are initially based, during the period of their entitlement to assistance, on the water or sewerage undertaker’s average charges for household consumers for water supplies or sewerage services; and

(b) are, if necessary, adjusted at the end of that period, so that the total charge for such supplies or services in relation to those premises for that period does not exceed the amount the consumer would have paid if the consumer had not applied for assistance.

(2) The method of arriving at a water or sewerage undertaker’s average charges included in a charges scheme by virtue of paragraph (1)(a) must follow such principles as the Authority(1) may from time to time determine.

(3) The Authority must give water and sewerage undertakers notice of any determination under paragraph (2).

(4) Subject to paragraph (5), the period of a consumer’s entitlement to assistance begins when the consumer applies for assistance and ends 12 months later unless that is part way through a billing period, in which case it ends at the end of that billing period.

(5) Where a consumer ceases to be eligible for assistance part way through the period of entitlement which would otherwise apply under paragraph (4), the consumer’s period of entitlement ends at the end of the billing period in which the consumer ceases to be eligible for assistance.

(1)

i.e. the Water Services Regulation Authority: see section 1A(1) of the Water Industry Act 1991, as inserted by section 34(1) of the Water Act 2003 (c.37).