Commentary Strategic supplies Section 43: Drainage: concessionary charges for community groups
411.Subsection (1) allows water and sewerage undertakers to operate concessionary schemes for community groups for surface water drainage charges. Subsection (2) allows undertakers to decide whether to bring forward a concessionary scheme, to decide which community groups to include and what constitutes a community group, what reduction in charges to allow, and for different reductions to be granted to different classes of community group.
412.Subsection (3) prohibits charges under a concessionary scheme from being reduced to nothing. Subsection (4) provides a non-exhaustive list of what can count as a community group in terms of benefitting the local community. Subsection (5) requires the Water Services Regulation Authority (Ofwat) and undertakers to have regard to any guidance issued by the Minister around the need for concessionary schemes, which community groups should benefit and what reductions in charges to allow. Subsection (6) defines “the Minister” for the purposes of this section as being the Secretary of State for an undertaker whose area is wholly or mainly in England and the Welsh Ministers for an undertaker whose area is wholly or mainly in Wales.