"Why not make electricity free like water, ie included in council tax."
Water is metered where I live, but yes.
Flatrates for power (You pay a base rate, or tax, it does not matter much) for the first 5 MWh/year are totally a thing that will be coming.
The money is not for the energy, which is free, but for the reliabilty, which comes from having a grid and flexibility and energy storage in batteries.
@isotopp @vladh privatised water has failed- just look at England, high prices, poor infrastructure and rivers full of sewage.
The thing about having a meter is you don't need to read them. Swap to a flat rate and use meters for leak monitoring and not billing