[Finance] Southern Water over 50% increase in bills

[alanfp]

I also do not understand why quoting the number of bedrooms is in any way relevant IF you are on a water meter, IT IS ALL ABOUT CONSUMPTION.

The OP said he doesn't have a meter. so in his case IT'S NOT ALL ABOUT CONSUMPTION. It's based on the historical RV so the size of the house is relevant. The accepted rule of thumb is if there are fewer occupants than bedrooms then you should save money having a water meter (Money Saving Expert).

To be fair, water bills have been very cheap for a long time.

They were until 1989. Since then they have perhaps been reasonable value, but nevertheless more than they coulda/shoulda been, due to the fact that a significant proportion of your bill (typically 15-20%) has been given to shareholders.
Not to mention companies like Thames Water Utilities Cayman Finance Ltd. and why they were formed!

 

[Eeyore]

The OP said he doesn't have a meter. so in his case IT'S NOT ALL ABOUT CONSUMPTION. It's based on the historical RV so the size of the house is relevant. The accepted rule of thumb is if there are fewer occupants than bedrooms then you should save money having a water meter (Money Saving Expert).


They were until 1989. Since then they have perhaps been reasonable value, but nevertheless more than they coulda/shoulda been, due to the fact that a significant proportion of your bill (typically 15-20%) has been given to shareholders.
Not to mention companies like Thames Water Utilities Cayman Finance Ltd. and why they were formed!

Apart from telecommunications, I can't think of a public service that was justified in going private. If there is no choice for the customer it will always end badly.

I wouldn't re-nationalise the railways out of choice though. But it would take an essay to explain.

 

[Since1982]

In fairness to Southern Water, they at least haven't paid dividends since 2017

Whether they are investing enough, doing enough, overcharging etc is a different matter, and I simply don't know enough to comment

They wanted to in 2024 and managed to pay out £2.3bn before 2017.