If I have to sacrifice to pay for water, can I ‘afford’ it?

While driving home from work recently, I listened to a radio discussion about the water charges. 

There was consensus from the small, but eclectic, panel that many people who took part in the protests could afford to pay the charges. That made me think about what the word ‘afford’ means. Certainly, anyone who can pay the charge with no perceptible change in lifestyle can afford to do so. But what of a family who must forgo an annual holiday or of the children whose nutritional intake will be reduced? It is a pity the panel didn’t discuss affordability, as it may have thrown up unpalatable answers.

John Bellew