War on water poverty
Posted on 26 October 2008
The problem of 'water poverty' in England and Wales is the focus of investigation by a group of researchers from the University's Department of Social Policy and Social Work. Water poverty is most often thought of as being a concern in countries where there is little or no access to clean drinking water, however, it is also a problem faced by households in parts of the UK.
So, what is water poverty? A household is defined as suffering from water poverty if it spends more than three per cent of its income on water. Although UK law does not allow a household's supply to be cut off, rising prices and increased debt can have serious knock-on effects for consumers, affecting their ability to pay for other essentials such as food and fuel.
The situation in England and Wales is unique because water is provided by the private sector, but that sector has a monopoly. Householders cannot choose their water supplier in the same way that they can their gas or electricity company, so water poverty cannot be addressed in the same way as fuel poverty. Water charges also vary from region to region.
The task of the York-based research team, consisting of Dr Carolyn Snell and Professor Jonathan Bradshaw, is to establish the extent of water poverty in England and Wales, and to see if it is feasible to address this through the tax and benefits system.
About the researchers
Dr Carolyn Snell
Dr Carolyn Snell is a lecturer in Social Policy, in the Department of Social Policy and Social Work
Contact
Email: cjs130@york.ac.uk
Jonathan Bradshaw
Jonathan Bradshaw is a Professor of Social Policy in the Department of Social Policy and Social Work
Contact
Email: jr1@york.ac.uk
Research Assistants
- Gill Main, Department of Social Policy and Social Work
- Yekaterina Chzhen, Department of Social Policy and Social Work
Further information
- Studying in the Department of Social Policy and Social Work