According to media sources, the Northern Ireland Executive may defer water charges by yet another year. If true, this would be the fourth year water charges will have been deferred.
The Assembly is yet to make an announcement on how water charges will be collected from next year on. They had hoped to collect the additional charge through the rates bill in order to undermine a mass non-payment campaign. But as the We Won’t Pay Campaign pointed out earlier this year, collecting water charges through the rates is prohibited. The Executive is aware that there is no support for water charges and fears that a non-payment campaign could take off.
It is widely believed that extra money was secured by the DUP as part of their deal to save Gordon Brown’s hide by voting in favour of the government’s draconian 42 day detention legislation. It is thought an extra £200m has been promised in order to defer water charges for another year and to phase the introduction of the charges over six years instead of two as originally planned. This would mean that the average water bill delivered in 2010 would work out about £50. By introducing the charge at a much lower level than currently expected, the Executive hopes that people will reluctantly accept the charge.
Households in Northern Ireland will not be fooled though. Most people already know that the charges will increase dramatically year after year. With bills expected to rise to as much as £950, many will end up paying as much for their water as for their rates. Working class households already face difficulties in making ends meet as fuel, energy and food prices keep increasing without wage rises to match. The introduction of water charges against the background of the unfolding economic crisis will push thousands of households into poverty.
The Socialist Party calls on everybody to get organised in the We Won’t Pay Campaign and build local groups in every community. We must keep the pressure on the politicians to scrap water charges once and for all.
