A council is working alongside a water firm to help people on lower incomes have their water bills capped.

Through the scheme, households which earn less than £16,385 per year in the Maidstone Borough Council (MBC) area will be eligible with more than 7,000 residents expected to benefit, equating to around 10% of the total properties in the borough.

MBC says it thinks this is the first time South East Water and a local authority have worked together on such a project.

Fresh water is capped at a ceiling amount while, for waste water, customers receive a reduction of either 25% or 50%, depending on their circumstances.

To help identify those eligible for the Social Tariff, the council and South East Water worked under the basis of the Digital Economy Act legislation which has enabled both parties to share names and addresses of qualifying households, from Council Tax Support claimants to automatically put residents onto the Social Tariff.

MBC leader, Cllr David Burton (Con), said: "The past year and a half has seen some very challenging times for many people across our borough and, particularly, for many low-income residents.

"Simply put, we at MBC know who the households are that are entitled to the discounts – but often, the householders don’t know that they are eligible.

"We are putting the two together to help those residents on the lowest income get substantial reductions in their water bills."

South East Water customer service director Tanya Sephton said: “We believe we are the first water company to use the legislation with a council to help identify our customers who may need a helping hand with their water bill.

"It means our customers will get the assistance they need without delay or having to seek that help directly.

“We have worked with councils and Third Sector organisations, such as Citizens’ Advice, for many years to encourage those eligible to come forward.

"However, we cannot assume all our customers on a low income seek support and advice, so this system will make sure those who meet the criteria are on the correct tariff.

“This is a long-term project and we are now looking to other local authorities for partnership working in this way.”

Qualifying customers in Maidstone who are not already on the Social Tariff but are eligible will be advised by South East Water in writing they have automatically been given the reduced rate.

It is expected to come into effect by the end of this month.

For details about the Social Tariff, click here.

Read more: All the latest news from Maidstone