Combined household water and wastewater bills in Scotland for 2010/2011 will be frozen.
The Final Determination from the Water Industry Commission for 2010-2015 proposed that customer charges will be frozen for at least one year and decrease in real terms over the next five years while customer service improves further.
The average household bill across Scotland in 2010/11 will continue to be around £324, less than £1 a day˄.
The average household charge is expected to continue to be less than the average household bill in England and Wales* and lower than the average in seven of the companies south of the border. Charges in England and Wales, which are set in relation to the November Retail Price Index (RPI), have not yet been set for 2010/11.
The freeze, which will come into effect in April, follows four years running that Scottish Water has kept charges for household customers flat.
The average household bill in Scotland is lower than the average household bill in England and Wales and lower than the average household bill in seven of the companies south of the border. It is also considerably lower than other utility charges.
Scottish Water said that the freeze signalled continued stability in water and waste water bills at the same time as Scottish Water is delivering the largest investment programme per household in the UK.
Richard Ackroyd, chief executive, said:
“Increasingly our customers are seeing value in the charges they pay and the improved service they receive. Our drinking water is the best it has ever been, the environment is greener, leakage is being tackled and service is being improved.
“We believe these charges are a fair deal for our customers in these difficult economic conditions.
“These charges are helping to pay for the current £2.5 billion investment programme which is delivering the investment that Scotland needs in its water infrastructure while providing thousands of construction jobs. Millions of people are turning on their taps to clearer, fresher drinking water, a cleaner environment and improved customer service as a result.
“We are working hard to ensure that in the next five years charges remain steady while we continue to deliver vital investment.”
˄ The average household is between Council Tax Band B and Band C and has a combined bill of less than £1 a day. Individual water supply and waste water collection charges are less than £1 a day for all households (except for the individual water supply charges and waste water collection charges for Band H households).
*
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