Whittlesea households are struggling to pay their utility bills, according to the latest state energy and water ombudsman’s report.
The ombudsman’s report on energy and water hardship in Victoria, released last week, reveals an increasing number of Whittlesea households have had their power cut or water restricted because of unpaid bills in the latter half of last year.
A breakdown of statistics for each local government area shows the ombudsman dealt with 165 cases in which water or electricity supply was cut or restricted in Whittlesea between July and December last year. In the previous six months, 156 cases were reported.
On average, in each month of last year more than 41 Whittlesea residents approached the ombudsman to report payment difficulties.
In both Whittlesea and Hume, the number of cases that dealt with energy disconnection, water restriction, debt collection for unpaid bills and payment difficulties rose by about 30 per cent between the 2012-13 and 2013-14 financial years.
Victorian energy and water ombudsman Cynthia Gebert said complaints about power and water disconnection and restriction had increase by more than 207 per cent in the past five years.
“Based on this data, the community- wide issue of energy and water affordability is highly concerning and requires changes to industry practice and greater collaboration between industry, regulators, government and the community sector,” Ms Gebert said.
Whittlesea Community Connections (WCC), a social service organisation based in Epping, offers an emergency relief service for residents struggling to pay for basics such as rent, food and utility bills.
WCC chief executive Jemal Ahmet was not surprised by the figures. “We’re seeing more and more people falling into poverty, many of them having recently lost employment.”
Peta Falou, who runs the emergency relief service, said more than 500 people had accessed the service since the beginning of the year.
Last year, 1717 people received relief, but 2000 had to be turned away because WCC could not help them.
If you are experiencing financial hardship, you can contact Whittlesea Community Connections’ emergency relief office on 9401 6666.
