Dublin families facing charges of over €400 for modest water use
The Fianna Fáil Leader on Dublin City Council Mary Fitzpatrick has accused the Government of misleading Dublin householders on the true cost of water charges.
Fianna Fáil has launched a website exposing the Government spin on water charges and showing that in reality, the average Dublin family will be paying far in excess of €240 a year for their water.
Cllr Fitzpatrick said, “In reality, Dublin families will be shelling out bills of closer to €500 for their water. They are still being expected to pay regardless of the water quality and without any attempt to update the infrastructure that has left Dublin communities with severe water shortages over the past two years.”
Based on CSO figures on average water use, Fianna Fáil has calculated that a family of five will face annual water charges of over €436 a year for basic water use. A four-person household, where all residents are over 18, faces annual water charges of over €491 a year. A one-parent family with two children will pay more than €250 a year. It’s only a two-person household with modest use of water that will pay less than the Government’s ‘average’ charge at approximately €205 a year.
Cllr Fitzpatrick continued, “This shows just how dishonest Fine Gael and Labour have been with Dubliners about the charges they will begin to rack up from October. It’s further proof of the fact that this Government has been misleading Dublin household all along about the true cost of water and what exactly their taxes are being spent on. The Government pumped €180 million of taxpayers’ money into Irish Water to spend on consultants. While the super quango hires hundreds of staff with perks and bonuses, not a cent has been spent on Dublin’s water network.
“In addition, people living in apartments right across the city will be hit with flat-rate water charges as they won’t be fitted with meters by the time charges come in. They will have absolutely no control over the bills that they will pay. The Government seems to have no plan on how meters will be fitted to the three quarters of households across the country that will still be without meters by the end of the year.
“Dublin households are waking up to the Government’s dishonesty on water charges. With just 5 months to go until households begin to rack up this additional charge, it’s time for Fine Gael and Labour to come clean and admit that Dublin families will be forced to pay far more than they were led to believe.”
Website can be accessed at www.irishwatercharges.com
