Thames Water met with Policy in Practice to discuss tackling bad debt, supporting low-income households, and developing social tariffs. Key points discussed included building Thames Water's existing tariffs into a single assessment tool, licensing the tool for advisors to provide holistic support, and working with local authorities to use household data to target support tariffs to the most vulnerable consumers. The meeting aimed to ensure Thames Water meets its commitment to help 200,000 vulnerable people through effective use of data sharing and partnership with local governments.

1. Deven Ghelani
Policy in Practice
Thames Water Meeting
April 8th, 2019

2. Agenda
• Introductions and Objectives
• Your approach to tackling bad debt
• Initiatives to support low income households
• Build your social tariffs into a single assessment tool
• License the tool for advisors to enable holistic support
• Work with local authorities - use data to target support
tariffs to vulnerable consumers most in need
• Summary and next steps

3. www.policyinpractice.co.uk
Introductions and Objectives

4. Cambridge councils
partnership with South
Staffs water.
Connected to DHPs:
£55k to 210 people
Removed the income
threshold.
Great partnership.
Listening to your customers

5. Listening to your customers

6. At the heart of this plan is a balance
between making our service affordable for
all, improving the service we deliver by
increasing investment, and strengthening
our financial resilience.
Steve Robertson
Watersure
• Caps the bill for those on income related
benefits or those with a water related
medical condition
Watersure Plus
• Up to 50% off your bill if your waterbill is
more than 3% of your net household
income and you are in receipt of income
related benefits / gross income less than
£16,105 (£19,201 in London) or you are
62 or older.
Ten of the most deprived boroughs in the
UK are in your region
Your approach

7. 777
Initiatives to support vulnerable households
Build your social tariffs into a single assessment tool
License the tool for advisors to enable holistic
support
Work with local authorities - use data to target
support tariffs to vulnerable consumers most in need

8. A team of
professionals
with extensive
knowledge of the
welfare system
who are
passionate about
making social
policy work
We help local
authorities use
their household
level data to
identify
vulnerable
households,
target support
and track their
interventions
We develop
engaging software
that helps people
to increase their
income, reduce
their costs and
helps them to
build their
financial
resilience

9. Direct payments to landlord to continue under UC,
if transferring from HB
End of UClive service
DEC2017
No new claims for UClive service after 01/01/18
UCadvances repayment period increases to 12 months
UCadvances increases to 100%of UCaward
JAN 2018
All claims migrated to UC
DEC2023
National Living Wage likely to rise to £8.80 p/hr
Housing benefit to 'run-on' for the first 2 weeks of UC
Payments for temporary accommodation improved
Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) becomes a loan
National Living Wage set at £7.83 p/hr for over 25
Personal tax allowance up from £11,500 to £11,850
APRIL 2018
www.policyinpractice.co.uk
UNIVERSAL CREDIT ROADMAP
Details subject to change
Details correct at 20 Feb 2019
FEB2018
7day waiting period for UCabolished
2017
2018
2019
2020
2023
2018
2018
Mixed age couples must make new claims for UC
instead of Pension Credit
MAY2019
JULY2019
Self-employed familiies moving to UCwon’t be affected by
minimum income floor for the first 12 months of their claim.
Managed migration pilot will begin (starts in full end 2019)
2019
2019
2019
End of Full Service roll out
JAN 2019
New UCclaims for households with 2+
children
FEB2019
APRIL2019
NLW will increase to £8.21p/hr for over 25s
Personal tax allowance will increase to £12,500
Higher rate tax threshold will increase to £50,000
UCWork Allowances will increase by £1,000/year.
2019
APRIL 2020

10. Managed migration was scaled back for 2019,
although around 1.6m people will still move onto
Universal Credit this year via natural migration.
The two-child limit to benefits would not apply to
children born before April 2017.
Flexible payments, including direct payments to
landlords, split payments, and the payment of
Universal Credit going to the main carer by default.
The Secretary of State is also looking at options to
reduce the five-week wait for new claimants, and
accelerate childcare payments to providers.
The High Court found in favour of four working
mothers who challenged how the DWP took account
of monthly earnings.
New Secretary of State – new direction?

11. Use data from customers to make better decisions.
Access 10,000 people each day via GOV.UK

12. License the tool for advisors so they can give holistic
support, improving people’s ability to repay in future

13. Work with local authorities: Use their data to target support tariffs to
vulnerable people, including those less likely to ask for support

14. A new measure of poverty for the UK
Takes into account household income,
and household needs.
What is water poverty?
How can you eliminate it by 2030?
Water Poverty: A new measure

15. Summary
• You have ambitious objectives in your 2020 – 2025 business plan, that you
can meet through effective use of data.
• What objectives would you like to meet through data?
• Ensure you meet your commitment to help 200,000 people
• Ensure that those 200,000 are those who are most in need
• Ensure your tariffs are fairly applied
• Re-incorporate LAHA tenants and understand those customers
• You can offer them holistic support. Your vulnerability teams can check
eligibility and increase take-up of local and national support, making it
more likely that your customers will be able to pay their bills.
• You can work with local government to pool data and share resources,
helping to target your support to the most vulnerable.

16. www.policyinpractice.co.uk
Thank you
Deven Ghelani
deven@policyinpractice.co.uk
07863 560677
Oscar Jefferson
oscar@policyinpractice.co.uk
07444 158921