Scottish Water have been accused of ‘stoking fat cat salaries’ by Dumbarton’s MSP after it was announced that bills are to rise by an eye-watering 9.9 per cent.
Water bills in Scotland are to rise in April and Scottish Water said that means that the average monthly household bills for water and waste water services will increase by £3.68 per month or £44 per year from April 1.
Scottish Water said current infrastructure is put under “significant pressure” as weather conditions become more extreme, with more periods of both drought and intense rainfall, and more investment is needed.
It comes on the back of an 8.8 per cent increase last year.
Dumbarton Labour MSP Jackie Baillie took a swipe at Scottish Water over the move for what she called stoking “fat cat salaries” with price hikes for customers.
A five per cent increase was levied in 2023 after Ms Baillie challenged the Scottish Government to keep costs low during the cost of living crisis.
The MSP blasted the price hike, saying: “It is a gross insult that Scots are being forced to pay for eye-watering bill hikes while Scottish Water’s Chief Executive rakes in £50,000 a month.
“The SNP is responsible for Scottish Water and approved this inflation busting rise during a cost-of-living crisis. The SNP must reverse this outrageous decision.
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“Households should be protected from punishing price hikes and Scottish Water should focus on improving our water infrastructure rather than funding fat cat salaries for those at the top.”
Alex Plant, chief executive of Scottish Water, said: “People in Scotland are rightly proud of our water and maintaining our high standards means we need long-term sustainable investment.
“We’ve all seen – including in the last few days – how weather conditions in Scotland are becoming more extreme, and we are seeing more frequent periods of both drought and intense rainfall.
“This puts our current infrastructure under significant pressure, and, without increased investment, we risk reductions in service quality in the future.
“Today’s announcement will enable us to continue to provide essential high-quality services to millions of people today, while also investing prudently for the future, and ensuring that costs are shared fairly between current and future generations.”
Most household water and waste bills are collected along with council tax and the charges are based on the council tax banding of the property.
The company said the charges, which are set by the Scottish Water Board, are in line with the overall price cap set by the independent regulator for the current regulatory period.