Household water bills across Scotland to rise by 4.2 per cent after Scottish water announcement
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Scottish Water has announced a rise in household water bills for the coming year.
The company, accountable to the Scottish Government, revealed prices will rise by 4.2 per cent in the 2022/23 financial year.
The blow comes amid growing fears of a cost of living crisis across the UK amid rising energy bills, interest rates, inflation and tax bills hitting individuals and families hard in the pocket.
Scottish Water’s new annual charges, collected alongside local authority council tax, will mean an average bill increase of 31 pence per week.
Around half of households in Scotland receive financial support as they automatically have either a discount, exemption or reduction applied to their water and wastewater charges.
Scottish Water serves 2.6 million households, supplying 1.5 billion litres of water and removing and cleaning one billion litres of used and surface water daily.
Water and waste water charges, which raise almost £1 billion annually, support service delivery, investment in ageing infrastructure and improvements in water quality and environmental protection.
Scottish Water says it needs to increase investment to protect services against the impact of climate change, reduce carbon emissions and ensure customers have reliable and resilient services in future.
Douglas Millican, chief executive of Scottish Water, the fourth largest water services provider in the UK, said: “Customers rely on our services for their daily water needs and to take away and clean the water they use.
“Over the last two years those services have been vital to maintaining public health during the pandemic.
“We have been recognised as leading in the water sector in the UK on customer service excellence, the quality of Scotland’s drinking water remains very high, and we are investing to protect the environment from pollution.
“Higher levels of investment are needed to protect services now and over the long term, particularly in meeting the challenges of more intense rainfall, flooding, and drought, and reducing carbon emissions.
“We understand there needs to be a balance between the need for higher levels of investment and the financial challenges faced by households at the present time.
“We have set charges at a level that takes account of those challenges while being open and clear that charges will need to increase further in future years.”
Water and waste water charges to licensed providers who supply businesses and other non-domestic customers will also increase by 4.2 per cent.
