A giant seven-foot water tap will tower over the Liberal Democrat Party Conference today (Monday 21 September) as Independent Age, the national charity focused on improving the lives of older people in financial hardship, draws attention to the growing number of older people on low incomes struggling to pay their water bills.
The striking installation is designed to make the hidden crisis of water poverty impossible to ignore. Water pouring from the tap’s spout, made up of mock water bills, illustrating the relentless flow of demands that are heaping more pressure on already stretched budgets.
For older people living on low incomes, paying for water can mean making impossible choices about everyday essentials, from compromising their health and hygiene by skipping showers and flushing the toilet less often than needed, to cutting back on laundry.
Independent Age is using the pop-up installation to call on the UK Government to introduce a single social tariff for water in England and Wales, so all those struggling to pay their bills receive consistent support regardless of where they live.
While water social tariffs provided by individual companies do offer vital support to people living in poverty, the level of support and eligibility criteria vary from region to region, leaving some adrift as water charges increase.
Without meaningful government intervention the scandal of water poverty will only increase. Independent Age commissioned polling in February 2026 revealed that almost half (40%) of people aged 65 and above in England and Wales with a household income of less than £15,000 felt compelled to restrict their water use to save money. For all low-income households 42% were cutting back.
Joanna Elson CBE, Chief Executive of Independent Age, said: “The giant tap is a symbol of something that should never be normalised: older people on low incomes having to think twice about flushing the toilet, putting on the washing machine or taking a shower because they are worried about the cost of their water.
“For people in later life who already cannot make ends meet, a high water bill can be the difference between getting by and going without. And where someone lives should not determine whether they get the help they need.
“The shocking reality is that without government action the scandal of water poverty among all people on low incomes will increase. Our research shows that without further intervention almost one million pensioner households in England and Wales could be living in water poverty by 2029/30, an increase of 250,000 on the 2022/23 figure.
“We are calling on the UK Government to introduce a single social tariff for water in England and Wales to provide a consistent safety net for people of all ages who cannot afford their bills and prevent more people from being pushed into water poverty.”
A petition to the UK Government calling on it to create a single water social tariff has been signed by more than 8000 people, illustrating public support for fairer and consistent support for those on a low income.
