Scottish Water to raise domestic charges

Water and waste water services to homes across Argyll are set to rise by 4.2 per cent this year.

The new annual charges, collected alongside the 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 these charges.

Water and waste water charges, which raise almost £1 billion annually, supports service delivery, investment in ageing infrastructure and improvements in water quality and environmental protection.

Scottish Water 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, 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 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.’