Yorkshire Water Community Trust

The Trust funds the relief of poverty, hardship, and distress arising from the inability to meet or pay for water and sewerage charges for residential accommodation. It provides one-off grants to reduce water bill arrears for individuals in the Yorkshire Water service region, which covers Yorkshire and the Humber area, including Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds, Wakefield, North Yorkshire, and East Riding of Yorkshire. Grants are directed at those with at least one additional priority debt, such as rent, council tax, mortgage, gas, electricity, or HMRC tax.

Only individuals who are Yorkshire Water customers residing in the Yorkshire Water service region can apply. The Trust prioritises those in genuine crisis, such as low-income families, people with disabilities, or those facing medical challenges. Applications must include proof of arrears, income and expenditure details, and recent debt evidence. Organisations, charities, and non-customers are not eligible. Repeat applications are limited to a maximum of two in five years.

The Trust does not fund projects, core costs, capacity building, capital works, environmental initiatives, or general community activities. It also excludes non-customers, organisations, and charities, and does not support ongoing or repeat applications beyond the stated limits.

The Trust provides one-off grants solely for paying down individual water arrears. It welcomes unsolicited applications, submitted via email or post using a downloadable form from the Yorkshire Water website, on a rolling basis. Grants are needs-led and non-strategic, focusing exclusively on crisis intervention for water debt.