During the water mains burst in Kenley Lane in April, I spent time with the SES Water Vulnerable People team and Croydon Council’s Resilience Team to ensure that residents on their Priority Services List received free deliveries of bottled water whilst the mains supply was interrupted.
In the weeks following the burst, I had several ongoing conversations with SES Water, including at a stand at the Co-Op that the team set up to meet residents and answer questions about the water burst.
During these discussions, I found that they offer a range of support services for people on a low income, including 50% bill reductions, which could equate to £150-£200 per year, I thought that this would be of interest to the customers of the Purley Food Stop, where Cllr Kolade and I volunteer every two weeks.
Pastor Nick Graves who runs the Food Stop at Old Lodge Lane Baptist Church agreed that it would be a benefit to his customers. On Friday 21st July SES Water set up a table to talk to people on a one-to-one basis on whether they qualified and the simple procedure that they could go through to receive the discount, or other benefits such as help with arrears on water bills.
I’m looking forward to catching up with the team and Pastor Nick to see whether they can attend regularly, and if there is anything else that can be done to support vulnerable people, or those on a low income.
