This paper, Data sharing for implementing targeted bill support blueprints, sets out how the targeted bill support schemes proposed in this report can be implemented in practice through data sharing. Its purpose is to demonstrate that the designs are credible, automatable, and consistent with approaches already in use across utilities and government.
“Rising bills mean more people are needing to navigate a fragmented network of support. This report shows how policymakers can make schemes easier to navigate, even auto-enrolling a growing number of households, ensuring support gets to those households who are struggling the most.”
Deven Ghelani, Founder Policy in Practice
As the Art of the Possible report showed, data-driven automation is not a theoretical exercise, it is happening today. From the Warm Home Discount (WHD), which auto-enrols around 70% of eligible households, to Thames Water’s roll-out of automatic enrolment for their WaterHelp social tariff, which will distribute over £10m of support to more than 30,000 Londoners this year, the evidence base is clear: the mechanisms to deliver large-scale, low-friction access already exist.
Automating enrolment delivers not just efficiency but also fairness. People with mental health conditions, limited English, or facing digital exclusion are disproportionately likely to miss out on much-needed support when complex manual applications stand between them and that support. Automation reduces these barriers, increases take-up, and lowers administrative costs.
This paper first recaps key lessons from Art of the Possible. It then summarises how the four proposed schemes, energy, water, broadband, and motor insurance, can be operationalised. It closes with reflections on trusted third parties, information governance, and the limits of automation
Case study: Water company, councils and Policy in Practice partner to deliver automatic bill support worth £10 million for low income households
Using Policy in Practice’s LIFT platform, councils and Thames Water can now securely identify households struggling with rising costs and automatically enrol them for financial help, removing the need for lengthy applications.
With water bills up 26% on average over the past year, the support provides vital relief to those who need it most, as covered by BBC News.
A pioneering partnership between Thames Water, London boroughs and Policy in Practice ensures Londoners automatically receive water bill support, a first for the UK water industry
The initiative builds on a successful pilot that’s expected to reach 33,000 households, delivering over £10 million in savings
