How we work to ensure any increases in Scotland's water prices are justified
Scottish Water needs to come up with a value-for-money plan to deal with ageing infrastructure, extreme weather and a shifting population
Water and wastewater services are the quiet foundations of daily life. They sit behind everything we rely on, from distilleries and care homes to cafés and data centres, and most of us only notice them when something goes wrong.
A symbol of how far Scotland’s water services have come can be found in Southampton. At Berth 110 in the Western Docks sits SS Shieldhall, a steamship built for Glasgow Corporation in the 1950s to carry treated sewage sludge from the city’s works.
Waste was loaded on board, taken downriver, and released into deeper waters of the Firth of Clyde between Bute and Arran, far enough away that most people did not have to think about it.
Few images capture Scotland’s progress more clearly than a former sludge boat now treated as maritime heritage. The same progress is reflected in drinking water compliance, bathing water standards, and the ability to connect and serve new homes and businesses across Scotland.
What do customers get for higher bills?
A threefold increase in service improvements did not happen by accident. It is the result of sustained investment and the daily work of staff at Scottish Water, a publicly owned company, delivering against stretching targets, year after year.
The Water Industry Commission for Scotland (WICS) sets those targets and protects customers by challenging Scottish Water to improve performance, delivery, and value for money. Our role is to provide independent accountability so customers can see what is being delivered for the charges they pay and have confidence they are paying no more than necessary.
In January, WICS approved Scottish Water’s charges scheme for 2026-27, allowing an 8.7 per cent increase in customer charges. No one welcomes higher bills, so the key question is simple: what do customers get in return, and what happens if we invest less?
Customers pay for safe drinking water, cleaner rivers and coasts, and services that work quietly every day. Investing less would mean slower progress, greater risk, and higher costs for the future.
That does not mean customers should accept higher bills without question. At WICS, we scrutinise the case for any increase by weighing costs and risks against the benefits customers should see, challenging the assumptions behind Scottish Water’s plans, and pressing for efficiency and value for money. We are transparent about the choices and trade-offs, so today’s decisions do not pass avoidable costs and risks onto future generations.
A vision for the future
On February 26, we expect to receive Scottish Water’s business plan for 2027-33. This will set out investment priorities, commitments to customers and regulators, and the charges Scottish Water believes are needed to deliver them.
The business plan as a whole will shape charges until 2033. It will show how Scottish Water intends to sustain progress, deliver the industry’s vision, and respond to ageing infrastructure, extreme weather, and a shifting population. That is why the plan will be tested hard for ambition, deliverability, and value for money.
The work ahead is demanding, but the prize is clear: to protect what Scotland has achieved and keep improving, without asking customers to pay more than necessary. That is what independent scrutiny is for, how trust is earned, and how we sustain a water industry that Scotland can continue to be proud of.
David Satti is chief executive of the Water Industry Commission for Scotland
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