Affinity Water teams up with power network to support hard-up customers

Affinity Water and UK Power Networks have joined forces to support customers who are struggling financially.

The partnership is part of Affinity Water's package of measures to help hard-up customers. To date the company has offered payment breaks to more than 7,300 customers and another 84,000 customers are on its Low-Income Tariff. And some 4,000 Affinity customers are signed up to the water industry’s WaterSure scheme to help high consumers in receipt of benefits to pay their bills.

Affinity Water has emailed more than 7,000 households currently on its Priority Services Register (PSR) to promote UK Power Networks’ PSR. The plan is to reach 10,000 households “in the near future.”

Social sustainability strategy and programme manager at UK Power Networks, Dr Giulia Privitera, said: “Our partnership with Affinity Water demonstrates the true value of collaboration across the utility sector. We are making it easier for people to access the support available from their different utility providers. By joining forces we can make sure the extra help available continues to reach our customers who need it most.”

• Affinity Water has signed up to the government’s Kickstart scheme to provide 15 placements to 16-24 year-olds in need of work. The government scheme aims to create 250,000 jobs for young people in the wake of the pandemic and runs until December 2021. The Kickstart scheme allows employers to offer young people claiming universal credit a six-month work placement funded by the government.