We hit the city’s streets to see how the rise would affect households
Yorkshire Water bills are set to rise from April(Image: LDR)
With Yorkshire Water bills set to rise this Spring, went in to Hull city centre to see how the public feel about facing a further rise in the cost of living. The water provider has announced that from April an average bill increase by 5.6% – around £2.80 per month.
Yorkshire Water says the above inflation price rise will help to fund £8.3bn investment programme, which the provider says “will improve customer service and environmental outcomes across the region.” Regardless of how the money could be spent, we found people in Hull to be less than enthusiastic about the price hike.
Often when we head out into Hull to get people’s opinions on a topic that’s in the news, we get a wider range of views. On this occasion however, there appeared to be firm consensus amongst the people we spoke to in the city who shared a sense of frustration whilst also being resigned to the fact that there is little people can do when water bills rise. One gentleman named John encapsulated this notion by saying people are forced to “pay up or go without.”
Despite it, on paper, seeming like a modest rise, people in Hull were concerned about how several small increases can quickly add up. One woman, Cathy, told us that whilst the water bill rise is relatively small, increases to council tax, the TV Licence, and other regular outgoings mean that more and more people are struggling.
Eden and Emily raised concerns for families who are likely to use more water. Emily said: “It’s rubbish for people who are already struggling, but everyone’s got Yorkshire Water so there’s not a lot you can do.”
Leon and Kayleigh shared the concern that “everything is going up.” Having moved from the South, Leon told us he has been surprised by the cost of living in the North, saying “it’s not much cheaper than down South now.”
Stephanie and Emma shared the seemingly common sense of helpless frustration. “You can’t do anything, we don’t have a choice”, Emma said.
In true ‘Brenda from Bristol’ style, upon hearing us talking to a member of the public on King Edward Street, from a fair distance one woman shouted: “Yorkshire Water, they’re going up again? You’ve got to be joking!” Brenda became an internet sensation in 2017 with her now infamous ‘You’re joking – not another one?!’ response to the news of another General Election.
In Queen Victoria Square we spoke to Sheila and Rebecca. Rebecca raised wider concerns about water companies being privatised and therefore run for profit. As an avid wild swimmer, Rebecca also raised concerns about the water supplier’s pollution record.
Between 2025 and 2030, Yorkshire Water will be investing the equivalent of around £3,600 for every household in the region to improve infrastructure and customer service. Matt Pinder, customer director at Yorkshire Water, said: “Of course, we know that bill rises will be difficult for some of our customers. Over the five years, we’ll be providing £375m in financial support to 345,000 customers through a range of different schemes – I would encourage anyone who is struggling financially to contact us to discuss the options available to them.”
The supplier has also said it is delivering its “largest ever programme of environmental investment,” to improve the quality of the region’s watercourses. This includes a £59m investment in Bridlington and an over £5m investment in Rawcliffe.
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