Scottish Water payments set to rise 9.9% in April

Water payments in Scotland will enhance by nearly 10% from April.

Scottish Water stated the 9.9% rise was essential to spend money on infrastructure to deal with durations of “drought and intense rainfall” introduced on by local weather change.

It means houses within the lowest council tax band A will probably be charged greater than £400 for his or her provide and waste water assortment for the primary time.

The physique additionally stated the rise, which follows an 8.8% rise final 12 months and a 5% rise in 2023, would “rebalance prices” which have been held again to assist households after the Covid pandemic and value of residing disaster.

Scottish Water stated it served greater than 2.6 million households and 225,000 companies throughout the nation.

Home water payments are collected together with council tax in Scotland and are tied to the eight bands used to find out their worth.

In band A, the bottom valuation, yearly prices will enhance by about £36, whereas in band H, the very best, they are going to rise by £108 to £1,200.78.

Houses categorised in band D will face a £54 annual rise.

Scottish Water stated present projections confirmed a four-fold enhance in Scotland’s day by day water provide deficit throughout droughts or durations of low rainfall.

It stated the nation might face a deficit of as much as 240 million litres a day, up from 60 million litres, whereas water essential bursts are anticipated to turn into extra prevalent by 2050 on account of drier floor situations creating motion.

Chief govt Alex Plant stated its infrastructure was below “critical strain” because of the altering local weather.

A report by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) for autumn final 12 months stated Scotland had skilled “drier than regular situations” which had “impacted water sources” throughout the nation.

Met Workplace rainfall knowledge confirmed autumn 2024 was the fifth driest in 100 years.

That followed a summer which was the wettest on record for elements of the nation.

A brand new report overlaying the winter interval will probably be launched later this 12 months.

Mr Plant stated a scarcity of “elevated funding” within the wake of environmental challenges risked “reductions in service high quality”.

He stated: “Individuals in Scotland are rightly pleased with our water and sustaining our excessive requirements means we want long-term sustainable funding.

“We have all seen – together with in the previous few days – how climate situations in Scotland have gotten extra excessive, and we’re seeing extra frequent durations of each drought and intense rainfall.

“This places our present infrastructure below important strain, and, with out elevated funding, we threat reductions in service high quality sooner or later.

Mr Plant added: “This announcement will allow us to proceed to offer important high-quality providers to thousands and thousands of individuals immediately, whereas additionally investing prudently for the longer term, and making certain that prices are shared pretty between present and future generations.”

The utmost quantity that may be charged by Scottish Water for the 2021-7 interval is set out by the regulator, Wics. The annual enhance is then set by the board of Scottish Water.