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From next month, water bills in Scotland will increase by almost 10%. Scottish Water has stated that it is necessary to invest in infrastructure to address the impact of climate change, including periods of drought and intense rainfall. This follows an 8.8% increase last year and a 5% rise in 2023, indicating a growing need for investment in Scottish water infrastructure. The increase aims to “rebalance charges”, which were held back to support households during the COVID pandemic and cost of living crisis.
The increase will include households in the lowest council tax band A, who will receive bills for their water supply and waste water collection of over £400 for the first time. Scottish Water serves over 2.6 million households and 225,000 businesses in Scotland, and domestic water bills are collected alongside council tax payments and are tied to the eight bands used to determine value. This means that homes categorised in band D will see an annual rise of £54.
Current projections show a four-fold increase in daily water supply deficits during periods of low rainfall or drought, which could peak at 240 million litres a day. This is up from 60 million litres at present. In addition, drier ground conditions are expected to make water main bursts more prevalent by 2050, due to the increasing effects of climate change. The Chief Executive of Scottish Water, Alex Plant, stated that the infrastructure was under “serious pressure” due to the changing climate.
Scottish Environment Protection Agency’s (Sepa) report for autumn last year stated that Scotland had experienced “drier than normal conditions” impacting water resources across the country. Met Office rainfall data showed that this event was the fifth driest in 100 years, and it followed the wettest summer on record in some parts of the country. A new report covering the winter period will be released later this year.
Mr Plant warned that lack of “increased investment” presented a risk of “reductions in service quality” in the wake of environmental challenges. Mr Plant added, “People in Scotland are rightly proud of our water and maintaining our high standards means we need long-term sustainable investment. This announcement will enable us to continue to provide essential high-quality services to millions of people today, while also investing prudently for the future, and ensuring that costs are shared fairly between current and future generations.”
The regulator Wics case sets out the maximum amount that Scottish Water can charge for the 2021-7 period. The annual increase is then set by the board of Scottish Water
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