Water charges in council houses [UNC]
Case reference FOI2017/00528
Published 9 November 2018
Request
This request concerns money charged by your council from council tenants for water as part of service charges in council houses.
1) Please state the total amount charged by the council from council tenants for water as part of their service charges in each of the last ten financial years, and the current financial year to 01.09.17.
2) Please state the total amount paid by your council to purchase water from Thames Water to supply these tenants for each of the last ten financial years, and the current financial year to 01.09.17.
3) Please state the total discount received by the council from Thames Water for supplying Thames Water's water to council tenants, in percentage and cash terms, for each of the last ten financial years, and the current financial year to 01.09.17.
4) Please state the number of tenants currently covered by this arrangement, where your council supplies water on behalf of Thames Water to council tenants as part of service agreement charges in council homes.
5) Please state the number of complaints received by your council from council tenants about water charges as part of council house service charges for each of the last five financial years, and the current financial year to date.
6) Please state the amount of money set aside by your council for the possible refunding of charges made to council tenants for water as part of their service charges, due to the ruling against Southwark Council last year on water charges.
7) Please provide a copy of all council guidance on its legal position regarding the Water Resale Order 2006, and the implications for this on the council being able to act as an agent in terms of the provision of water to its council tenants.
8) Please state the number of occasions social tenants were evicted from council owned social rented properties due to non-payment of service charges for each of the last five financial years, and the current financial year to date.
Response
To clarify the situation, most Guildford Borough Council tenants pay for their own water direct to the water supplier. For those who pay through a service charge the cost set is based on previous consumption, taking into account an expectation of any changes and reconciled each year when the next charge is set.
189 tenants pay for their water supply through the local authority (3.75% of households), the 189 properties are in 5 separate blocks of flats where only 1 water meter supplies the whole site. For the following rent year we take the current cost, increase it by % we think the water company will increase their charges by and divide this over the number of flats in that block. Water charges are set by the water company, not the council. No admin fee is applied.
The answers to your questions are set out below.
1) Please state the total amount charged by the council from council tenants for water as part of their service charges in each of the last ten financial years, and the current financial year to 01.09.17.
Over the last 10 years up to 25.09.17 we have charged £249,656.87 to tenants as explained above for water service charges.
2) Please state the total amount paid by your council to purchase water from Thames Water to supply these tenants for each of the last ten financial years, and the current financial year to 01.09.17
Nil - The council does not purchase water from Thames water or any other water supplier.
3) Please state the total discount received by the council from Thames Water for supplying Thames Water's water to council tenants, in percentage and cash terms, for each of the last ten financial years, and the current financial year to 01.09.17.
Nil - Guildford Borough Council does not supply water to their council tenants on behalf of Thames water or any other water company
4) Please state the number of tenants currently covered by this arrangement, where your council supplies water on behalf of Thames Water to council tenants as part of service agreement charges in council homes.
Nil affected tenants - There is no arrangement as Guildford Borough Council does not supply water on behalf of Thames water or any other water Company.
5) Please state the number of complaints received by your council from council tenants about water charges as part of council house service charges for each of the last five financial years, and the current financial year to date.
Guildford Borough Council does supply water to our council tenants on behalf of Thames water company or any other water company so there have been no complaints from council tenants of this nature.
6) Please state the amount of money set aside by your council for the possible refunding of charges made to council tenants for water as part of their service charges, due to the ruling against Southwark Council last year on water charges.
Nil - Guildford Borough Council does not act as agent by supplying water on behalf of Thames water company so therefore not affected by the ruling.
7) Please provide a copy of all council guidance on its legal position regarding the Water Resale Order 2006, and the implications for this on the council being able to act as an agent in terms of the provision of water to its council tenants.
Guildford Borough Council does not and has never acted as an agent on behalf of Thames water Company or any other water company.
8) Please state the number of occasions social tenants were evicted from council owned social rented properties due to non-payment of service charges for each of the last five financial years, and the current financial year to date.
Nil tenants have been affected for non-payment of service charges in the last 5 years and current year to date.
Documents
This is Guildford Council's response to a freedom of information (FOI) or environmental information regulations (EIR) request.
You can browse our other responses or make a new FOI request.