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No cause for complaint in this respect has been brought
to my knowledge during the year.
Respecting the practice of cutting off for non-payment
of the water rate, I pointed out that in certain cases the
person by whose act or default the supply was withdrawn
was not the person inconvenienced, but that the occupiers
were the sufferers.
The Water Board have had the matter of "withdrawal
of supplies" under their consideration, and a circular in the
following terms showing the procedure to be observed in
future, which promises the co-operation of their officials
and those of Local Authorities in cases where danger to
public health is at all likely to be caused, was received
WITHDRAWAL OF SUPPLIES.
1. We have in the last few weeks received a number of letters from the
Metropolitan Borough Councils and from Local Authorities outside London, on
the subject of the disconnection of supplies consequent on non-payment of waterrates,
and suggesting that the Board should discontinue what is described as the
practice of the Companies in this matter.
We caused the actual facts of the case to be communicated to the Authorities
in question, but in view of the public interest which is no doubt taken in
this matter, we have thought that it would be convenient to also deal with the
subject in our report to the Board.
The communications from the Borough Council and other Local Authorities
originated in a resolution of the Islington Borough Council asking the Board to
adopt legal proceedings instead of "cutting off," as a means of recovering
water rates.
In view of the statements which have been made in various quarters, it is,
however, important to point out that by far the greater number of "cutting off"
cases have no connection whatever with non-payment of water rate (which was
the only subject dealt with in the Islington resolution), but are attributable to
cases where a remedy is required by the Engineering Department for defective or
irregular fittings and waste of water.
We are quite sure, from the information before us, that the Board's critics
have overlooked this important fact, and have taken it for granted that substantially
all cases of "cutting off " are attributable to non-payment of rates.
We, however, confine our attention in this Report to the particular matter
raised by the Islington resolution, viz., "cutting off "for non-payment.
It is a fact, no doubt, that to some extent the Board are continuing the
practice of the Metropolitan Water Companies in this matter, but we think
there is an essential difference in the present practice, inasmuch as the power of
"cutting off" for non-payment of rates is now very sparingly used, whereas with
the Companies it was almost the only method of recovery.
We are fully alive to the objections against the practice of cutting off
supplies, and our Sub-Committee, who examine the list of defaulters, at once
recognised the force of the objections by instituting, as far as circumstances
would permit, legal proceedings in lieu thereof, and arrangements are being
made whereby summary proceedings for the recovery of arrears will be taken in
the great majority of cases.
Considerable administrative changes have had to be adopted in order to
modify the practice of the Companies, and these are being carried out as rapidly
as possible with a view of reducing the necessity of disconnecting supplies.
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