Alison found out she was entitled to £466 a month in benefits and claimed more than £10,000 in backdated payments for other benefits she had been missing out on.
The Anglian Water ‘Extra Care Assessment’ is intended to help customers check their eligibility for other financial help and benefits they may be entitled to, to help with the cost of living.
Anglian Water customer, Alison, was very grateful after a phone conversation with Anglian Water’s Priority Services Team prompted her to check her eligibility for additional financial support.
The Chelmsford resident initially contacted Anglian Water about a debt on her account in August.
She was advised to fill out the company’s extra care assessment as it became clear during the call that she might be entitled to some extra financial help due to a medical issue that affects her water usage and ability to work.
She said: “Olivia from Anglian Water took me through the assessment over the phone. It showed I should contact Universal Credit and when I did, I couldn’t believe what happened next!
“I’m now not only getting an extra £466 a month in benefits I’m entitled to but I’ve also been reimbursed more than £10,000 in backdated payments for other benefits I’d been missing out on.
“I will never be able to put into words how amazing Anglian Water has been at helping me access the financial help I’m eligible for and I’ll be eternally grateful for that phone call.”
Millions of UK households are collectively missing out on at least £19billion a year in unclaimed welfare benefits.
The sheer complexity of the benefits system, lack of public awareness of what support is available for households, and fear of being perceived by others as “benefit scroungers” all contribute to the high level of unclaimed or underclaimed benefits, says the analysis.
It estimates that £1.3million households are eligible for but do not take up the UK’s main working-age benefit, Universal Credit, resulting in £7.5billion going unclaimed each year.
Nearly £3million eligible families do not claim council tax support (£2.9billion), while £5million households miss out on nearly £2billionn of support for water, energy and broadband bills.
Pete Holland, Anglian Water’s director of customer and wholesale services said: “We know times are really tough for many of our customers, as the cost-of-living crisis continues. Whatever the circumstances, our message to customers is simple: if you’re struggling, please get in touch. The sooner we talk, the sooner we can help.”
Last year, Anglian Water also announced its largest-ever package of support for customers struggling with the cost of living with £135million worth of help available to an estimated 330,000 customers throughout 2023.
The package offers a range of tailored services to support those in need. Discounted tariffs mean eligible customers can get up to 50 percent off their water bill, plus the company also offers affordable payment plans, payment holidays in certain circumstances, and direct support through the Anglian Water Assistance Fund, which is specially designed to help to cover the cost of bills when people are going through the most challenging times.
Any customers who are struggling are encouraged to contact Anglian Water via its website, X or Facebook accounts or call its Extra Care Team directly on 0800 169 3630.
A Department for Work and Pensions spokesperson said: “We are committed to helping vulnerable households and ensuring everyone claims the support they are entitled to. The independent benefit calculators on gov.uk and the free Help to Claim support from Citizens Advice are available to help people check their eligibility and claim Universal Credit.”
