Vocal Voices

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/o ... e-protests

You don't have to pay for your water supply ??

We have to pay about £450 here at the Ostrich's Nest, and that's using a water meter which is gradually becoming more and more the norm .....

Water meter here as well, Ossie. £180 per year for a single person in a small flat.

I actually don't mind so much. At just under 50p per day it is good value given the amount I use.

Here in the Isle of Man we don't pay for water as a seperate bill..........and few have a meter unless requested but possibly it might yet come to be the norm.

We still have the rates system and a part of the rates is services, sewerage, graveyards, street sweeping and local parks and gardens etc.

All based on the square footage of your property, which equalls the ratable value of your home which in turn then is charged at X £'s rateable value and then you pay so much per £, in our case the rates payable are about £1100 a year that we can pay in 10 equal payments on a monthly basis so get 2 months a year with none to pay.

Old fashioned maybe but it seems to work ok over here.

Manxie xx

Council tax is much the same Manxie, ours is £1500 a year paid in 10 monthly installments - but we pay water on top (metered), which is I think about £360 a year altogether.
Water is paid twice a year; we get two separate bills, I never understand quite why, from two different companies, for two different kinds of water service

Yes, it is right but not for much longer. However as usual, setting it up has been riven with incompetence, it should no longer surprise me that we don't seem to be able to do anything properly, but it infuriates me. Tales abound of terrible inefficiency and ridiculous mistakes while those at the top are of course in line for big bonuses In our own small case, I spent almost 30 minutes on the phone registering our new property as there was an error in the address, explaining about selling our house, the new address etc. etc. Today I received a very nice letter addressed to our old address thanking me for registering So on Monday I can no doubt look forward to another half hour with some girl who really doesn't know what she is doing, and can't cope if you stray outside her tick list, trying to establish if the new owners of our house have registered at that address and pointing out that I have actually registered at our new address. As ever another bloody shambles in this country.

I have a water meter paid the bill yesterday
35'00 this quarter about 150 a year
Also have council tax in April it's all pay out

We have a meter too, inevitable in a newer house. We use quite a bit of water, with three adults in the house, two bathrooms and three loos, washing machine on most days! However my MIL reckons her meter saves her a fortune, as she's there alone but in a big house. Horses for courses!

Osc nothing seems to get done properly here either, I doubt it is just an Irish thing xx

Kaz wrote:We have a meter too, inevitable in a newer house. We use quite a bit of water, with three adults in the house, two bathrooms and three loos, washing machine on most days!

When I lived alone I paid under £20 pcm for my water (metered) but now it keeps on going up and up, we are like you Kaz, three adults, 2 bathrooms etc etc....think last statement I got they were asking £35 pcm.....

Yep, you get through a lot of water like that Oh and 'snap' on the bill

My mum is thinking about switching to a water meter to save on her bills (after Dad has gone, not before as I think quite a lot of washing of clothes, bedding may lie ahead). I am not sure what she pays at the moment.

They don't have a bath - just a shower. And when she is on her own I would have thought that she will only the use the washing machine two or three times a week. And they now have a combi boiler rather than a hot water tank.

Does anyone have any experience of switching to a water meter and do you think it will save her money. I am sure I heard that once you have a meter fitted you can't go back.