Before you all get too frothy, it's worth understanding the detail here and not just the click-bait headlines.
Water companies in England have announced that customers on their 'Priority Services Register' and 'WaterSure tariff' scheme, alongside Blue Badge holders, are exempt from the hosepipe ban. This is because people who meet the criteria for these registers/ schemes are more likely than the general population to have difficulty using watering cans, purchasing bottled water, etc. due to disability, low income and other things of that nature.
The water companies have advised that, rather than risking confusing messaging about who is and isn't exempt, which could result in someone vulnerable thinking they are banned from various water uses when they're actually exempt, they have taken the blanket approach of granting all those on the WaterSure tariff the exemption in order to ensure disabled people were not put at risk, and to avoid confusion.
This means that people who are on the WaterSure tariff by reason of their being on benefits are technically exempt from the ban, but that isn't the intended purpose of the exemption, which is to ensure that disabled or otherwise vulnerable people/ families can still access the water they need safely. Everyone is being encouraged by the water companies to use water mindfully.
I know that's MUCH less exciting than getting in a rage about perceived two tier bans and unfairness, but isn't it better to be truthful about these things?