Consultation opens on introduction of water charges in Northern Ireland

A consultation on introducing water and sewerage charges has opened in Northern Ireland.

The Department for Infrastructure said options are to be considered following a direction from Secretary of State Chris Heaton-Harris in the absence of locally elected ministers.

The Stormont Assembly and executive have been effectively collapsed for more than a year-and-a-half amid DUP protest action over unionist concerns around post-Brexit trading arrangements.

In the absence of ministers, departments are being led by senior civil servants with limited powers.

Mr Heaton-Harris set a budget earlier this year amid challenging financial circumstances, with Stormont having two years to pay off an almost £300 million overspend.

Meanwhile it has been estimated that departments need hundreds of millions of pounds in extra funding to maintain public services at their current level this year, and hundreds of millions more are needed to settle a series of public sector pay disputes in the region

Mr Heaton-Harris has asked all departments to launch public consultations on potential revenue-raising measures for the region.

The consultation, launched on Thursday, gives an overview of potential water and sewerage charging revenue raising options which could be introduced.

The department said it sets out and seeks views on the main pathways through which water and sewerage charging could be introduced, how a relief scheme to protect vulnerable people might be developed, and how charging might be billed and collected.

It also asks about three other revenue raising options: the removal of the domestic allowance for non-domestic customers; charging customers for domestic septic tank desludging; and recovering the cost of roads drainage from all customers.

The consultation will close on March 13 2024.

DUP MLA Phillip Brett said his party will “vehemently oppose” domestic water charges.

“The people of Northern Ireland already pay for their water through their rates bill and any further attempt to introduce another tax by stealth will simply not fly,” he said.

“The current underfunding of Northern Ireland Water is yet another symptom of the failure by HM Government to fund public services here based upon objective need.

“It is neither fair nor sustainable for Northern Ireland to be funded below need, the solution to this problem requires the underfunding of public services here to be addressed by the Treasury.

“The DUP has been highlighting this problem consistently and we will continue to press this matter in our ongoing discussions with the Government, to ensure key public services are properly funded both now and in the future.”