Walsall tower block residents ‘betrayed’ as bills quadruple overnight
Residents living in tower blocks in Walsall have been ‘betrayed’ as their utility bills tripled and quadrupled overnight.
Walsall Housing Group (whg) manages 16 tower blocks across the borough, and it is understood all have been affected by the new charges which came into effect on October 1, 2025.
Tenants in Woodall House, Bloxwich, saw their prices go from 4p/kWh to 13.75p/kWh. Meanwhile those in Hamilton House, also in Bloxwich, had their prices go from 4p/kWh to 17.67p/kWh.
In 2021, a new system called a heat network was installed to WHG tower blocks, where individual boilers for each flat were removed and a central system was installed to service all flats within the block.
Whg said the new prices were set following an independent review of the system costs.
Throughout this summer, residents were invited to take part in a consultation about the changes.
Tenants were offered Option A of paying a unit rate only, or Option B of paying unit rate plus a standing charge.
Following the consultation event, residents voted to pay a unit rate only.
Now, residents who would have paid an average of £120 per year, will now pay £530 in Hamilton House and £412 in Woodall House.
Councillor Mark Statham, deputy leader and ward member for Bloxwich East, has criticised the housing provider over the changes, which he said has taken away residents’ ability to switch providers for a better price.
He also queried why the two blocks in Bloxwich, which have ‘identical consumption’, have different rates.
Councillor Statham claims that the ‘only reason’ behind the differences is the level of consumption, meaning if people use less they will be charged more to make up the costs.
Ofgem does not yet monitor this type of system and therefore customers cannot benefit from any price caps.
Councillor Statham said: “Residents feel betrayed by having a heat network imposed upon them, then putting them through inflation busting price increases on a ‘take it or leave it’ basis.
“Especially during an acknowledged cost of living crisis with no ability to switch suppliers.”
A spokesperson for whg said: “We know this increase will be difficult for some customers, and we want to reassure them that this decision was not taken lightly.
“For several years, we’ve deliberately kept charges much lower than the true cost by covering part of the cost ourselves.
“Unfortunately this is no longer sustainable, and the new tariffs now reflect the full cost of the energy customers use.
“The difference between blocks is due to how much it costs to run each system, and we have erred on the side of lower cost where we can – things like energy efficiency and equipment age make a difference – but we’ll continue reviewing this to make sure charges stay fair and consistent.”
