Scottish water bills set to increase 9.9% in April
BBCWater bills in Scotland will increase by about 10% from April.
Scottish Water said an increase of 9.9% was necessary to invest in infrastructure to cope with a period of “dried and intense rainfall” brought by climate change.
This means that the least council tax band A will be charged more than £ 400 for their supply and waste water collection for the first time from homes.
The body also stated that the growth, which follows the increase of 8.8% last year and a 5% increase in 2023, “imbalance fee” which was held back to help homes after the cost of covid epidemic and living crisis. Went.
Scottish Water said that it served over 2.6 million houses and 225,000 businesses across the country.
Domestic water bills are collected with council tax in Scotland and are bound by eight bands used to determine their value.
In Band A, the lowest assessment, the annual fee will increase by nearly £ 36, while in the band H, the highest, they will increase from £ 108 to £ 1,200.78.
Band D will face £ 54 annual growth in homes classified.
Scottish Water said that current estimates saw a four -fold increase in the daily water supply deficit of Scotland during the period of drought or low rainfall.
It said that the country can withstand a decrease of up to 240 million liters per day, from 60 million liters, while the main burst of water is expected to create a situation of drying by 2050, creating agitation.
The Chief Executive Alex Plant said its infrastructure was subject to “severe pressure” due to the changing climate.
A Report by Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) Last year for autumn, Scotland experienced “drying compared to normal conditions”, which “influenced water resources” across the country.
‘Environmental challenges’
Met office rainfall data showed that autumn 2024 was the fifth dry in 100 years.
He Follow a summer that was the most on record For some parts of the country.
A new report covering the winter period will be released later this year.
Shri Plant said that in view of environmental challenges, the shortage of “increased investment” puts the “cut in the quality of the service” at risk.
He said: “People in Scotland are proud of our water and maintaining our high standards means that we need long -term sustainable investment.
“We all have seen – in the last few days – how the weather conditions in Scotland are getting more extreme, and we are seeing more frequent durations of both dry and intense rainfall.
“It keeps our current infrastructure under significant pressure, and, without an increase in investment, we risk a decrease in the quality of service in the future.
Shri Plant said: “This announcement will be able to continue to provide us with the necessary high quality services to millions of people today, while investing in a prudent manner for the future, and ensuring that the cost is current and future generations. The beach is shared quite a lot. “
Scottish can be charged by water for a period of 2021-7 The regulator, set by WICS. The annual growth is then determined by the board of Scottish water.
