Water charges

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Thu 3rd Apr 2003

Judging from the number of related letters in the Belfast Telegraph recently, it appears the public is no fool when it comes to the subject of water charges.

First there was the great lie that we did not pay for our water, even though we clearly do through the regional rate and block grant. Now the Government is trying to kill off public debate on metering as a possible basis for water charges in the future.

If the public were expected to pay for water through a new method, I would expect there to be a drop in the rates. However, it is the way the Government has attempted to unduly influence the jury in its consultation paper 'The Reform of Water and Sewerage Services in Northern Ireland', that annoys me and many ratepayers most.

The Minister told us that there would be full consultation in relation to water charging, yet it is obvious that she has made her mind up on metering. The Government is clearly trying to deny choice and discourage debate of what would be, with built-in safeguards for the vulnerable, the fairest system of all.

I had hoped that this consultation would be meaningful and that the voice of the people would be listened to. I have already urged the Minister to come clean and stop the illusion that we currently receive our water free from the tap. The Minister knows that there's no such thing as free water from the tap, and that the infrastructure, purification and so on are paid for through general taxation.

Angela Smith wants to introduce yet a 'tap tax' to make water self-financing. Yet despite claims of wanting to be both transparent and fair, why should consultation on the installation of water meters be relegated to the sidelines? Meters would allow users to see what they are paying for, help reduce consumption, save water and thus save money, and I have written to the Minister outlining these points.

The old argument that meters are too expensive just doesn't wash. If her Government can set aside billions for a war in Iraq, then a few hundred million for transparency and accountability makes good economic sense.

But then who said that economic sense or even common sense was the hallmark of this Government?