Water charges protection for pensioners

Help the Aged has welcomed the announcement to afford added protection on water charges to Northern Ireland’s pensioners.

Help the Aged and the Age Sector Reference Group have campaigned over the past year to ensure that adequate measures were put in place to protect older people.

Coleen Connolly, Help the Aged policy officer said, "Help the Aged has long argued that water charges should be based on income rather that property values because many older people are asset rich and income poor. We also urged that pension credit must be a passport benefit to any vulnerability scheme."

"Under the previous proposals almost half the pensioners in Northern Ireland would have found themselves in water poverty. We pressed on the Minister and his officials on a number of occasions our deep concerns about this and we are glad to say that he has listened to us. Now what we have on the table are measures that will afford better protection to pensioners."

Help the Aged still see water charges as an added burden to those pensioners who live on a fixed income which is already stretched to capacity.

She continued, "The Department of Regional Development needs to ensure that we are charged solely for the water we use and not inefficiencies in the system. We also look forward to the Minister and the Water Reform Unit clarifying metering proposals and how they will work.”