Bills double whammy for families
Wednesday 1st April 2009, 12:00PM BST.
Shropshire families were hit with a financial double whammy today as the price of water and fuel both increased.
Severn Trent Water announced a five per cent rise in charges for the coming year.
This takes the average annual bill to £305. And the Government’s controversial fuel duty increase also came into effect this morning, adding an extra 2.12p to the price of a litre of petrol and diesel.
Severn Trent said the cost of its supplies would rise by around 4p a day for the next financial year, but insisted its bills were still among the lowest in the country.
Martin Kane, the company’s director of customer services, said the extra revenue was being used to help improve the underground pipe network, and improve water treatment works and sewage treatment processes.
He said: “We are entering the final year of our five-year pricing plan, which was agreed by the water industry regulator Ofwat, back in 2004.
“Our prices will go up by five per cent – or up about four pence per day – bringing our average bill to £305 for 2009/10.
“This still offers good value for money and allows us to continue with an extensive investment programme that will enhance the quality and reliability of our service across the region.
“In fact, as a Midlands-based company, we will be investing more than £600 million in the local economy over the next 12 months alone.”
Meanwhile, motoring organisations condemned today’s rise in fuel duty. The AA said the April Fools’ Day increase was “certainly no joke” to drivers, and the Freight Transport Association warned it could “push businesses over the edge”.
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Our government are greedy, Brown must go. We are in the middle of a credit crunch and they have the nerve to increase fuel why?? Absolutely disgusted
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I tend to agree that – for a whole range of reasons – the current government must go, and almost certainly will as soon as the population gets their chance for a say.
But will much change under the Conservatives? I think probably not.
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Firstly, how can the government even consider raising fuel tax during a time of crisis and when fuel prices are already high?! Secondly, didnt Severn Trent screw over their customers by charging them too much for a long period of time? So why have they increased their prices?! Surely water doesnt increase in price, it rains, a lake fills up, it’s filtered, we drink it…how expensive can that be?!?! Just another way of screwing us over. I can see poverty in sight.
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Bills going up no jobs around but Gordon and his friends get a pay rise time to kick then out!!
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AS A EX SHROPSHIRE RESIDENT YOU SHOULD THINK YOURSELVES LUCKY REGARDING WATER CHARGES. HERE IN DEVON THE AVERAGE WATER CHARGE IS IN THE REGION OF £500 TO £600!
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Brown has no concept of the damage he is doing!
It is tax and waste on an unmanagable scale.
This useless self serving sham of a government should go now!
He and they are simply in it for themselves!
Who would want to inherit there legacy?
MP’s, Bankers and numerous other civil non-jobs, the end is nigh!!!
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To be honest I knew it would not be too long before the Government started to rake back money from somewhere by hitting us with a price rise.
This is definitely the wrong time to increase prices when people are struggling to pay their bills after losing their job.
Time to go Mr Brown as you will not be getting my vote thats for sure.
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It’s simple, Brown has over spent with the banks and now he’s trying to claw back some of that money for his failings!
Hmm, let’s raise fuel tax… so that will mean EVERY trading business will have to increase their prices due to the knock on effect from a fuel price rise. thus making everything more expensive…no jobs, no money, Gordon, what are you trying to prove…?
“We want you to use your car less” that’s ok, but Trains, Buses, Taxis, Planes ALL use fuel…and this cost gets passed on to us! Idiot
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jon-kers, how right you are, though i gather we are having a lower inflation rise than most this year. down here in deepest devon and cornwall not forgetting dorset, we residents have to pay for all the grockles (holiday makers) water from april to october. you are all most welcome and 2009 is going to be a hot dry summer, so book up now and come on down. personally i holiday in gods own county town shrozebury!
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mean while mps pay hits 9 million !!
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if anyone thinks the Tories will do any better, they are sadly mistaken. It will only change when politicians are made to feel the inch as everyone does. Until they loose all their perks, feel the pinch like we are, then they may view things differently. Until then, we will always get hammered, no matter who is in power.
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this is labours and the eus fault for over egualting , we need tax cuts now to help families over the hard times, we must cut inheritance tax especially to help reduce the pain of millions of innocent children subjected to this horrid stealth tax on death
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we need to cut taxes NOW and get out of the EU
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