On 8 December, Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Hain announced the details of water charges due to be introduced in April 2007. The average charge will be around £310 a year, phased in over three years.

A special government funded "affordable" tariff will apply to households receiving benefits, those on the rates rebate and pensioners in low-income households. The government claims this will guarantee that the poorest households will not spend more than 3% of their income on water.

However, these modifications are not concessions and do not provide any protection to the poorest households. In reality, water charges represent a 3% cut in income for the poorest households.

The government was forced to slightly amend their plans for water charges because of the mass opposition which still exists. But they were also made to buy-off those politicians, voluntary groups and others whose opposition to the charges was always half hearted.

The General Consumer Council of Northern Ireland (GCCNI) were clearly involved in colluding with the government by assisting them in fine-tuning their water charging proposals. The GCCNI have been awarded the role of water consumer watchdog, which will give them extra resources and extra “powers.”

Help the Aged also applauded the announcement claiming that “adequate” measures have been put in place to protect older people. Instead of opposing water charges, Help the Aged has long argued that water charges "should be based on income rather than property values."

Organisations like the Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action, which represents the voluntary and community 'sector', have refused to oppose water charges. Instead they have assisted the government by proposing "people-friendly" water charges.

Even participants in the Coalition Against Water Charges have welcomed the latest proposals. Alliance MLA Kieran McCarthy, who is a regular contributor at Coalition meetings, has publicly confessed "My colleague, Eileen Bell MLA, and I have been campaigning for a fairer form of water charging". The Alliance Party supports "a charging regime that is fair to all, charging for what people actually use and on a basis of ability to pay".

There are now only 15 months left until water charges are introduced. It is important that the We Won't Pay Campaign continues to build mass non-payment in all local communities in advance of April 2007.

None of the right-wing sectarian political parties are prepared to support mass non-payment. In a newsletter distributed in Stranmillis in South Belfast, Sinn Fein MLA Alex Maskey opposed mass non-payment as it was “defeatist.”

Instead Sinn Fein claim that “the only way to deal with the threat of water charges is through a functioning Assembly and Executive.” In other words - “do nothing.” Leaving aside Sinn Fein's optimism that devolution will be restored within 15 months, they should be reminded that they, together with the other parties in the last Executive, agreed to water charges.

The government is determined to introduce these charges. They have refused to listen to the mass opposition. But mass non payment can defeat them. The task now is to build the We Won’t Pay Campaign in all local communities so the charges are met with organised non payment.

"Secret" public meeting picketed

Members of the Socialist Party and the We Won't Pay Campaign organised a successful picket of a secret “public” meeting organised by the government as part of a so-called "consultation" on the Draft Budget. The meeting was held at 9am on a Thursday at the Wellington Park Hotel in Belfast, when most people were at work.

Nevertheless, we were able to mobilise people to the picket, which was also supported by NIPSA members. We also put our message across in the meeting. When confronted over the unjust water charges, senior civil servants representing the government at the meeting were forced to concede we already pay for water.