The Water Industry Commission has proposed that water companies’ charges to customers should be frozen for at least one year; and that they should decrease in real terms over the next five years from 2010-2015 – while customer service improves further.
Scottish Water has announced that it is following the Commission’s recommendations and that its prices will be frozen for 2010.
The average water bill for households across Scotland in 2009/10 will continue to be around £324.
The average household charge is expected to continue to be less than the average for England and Wales and lower than the average in seven of the companies south of the border.
Scottish Water has already kept household charges flat for four consecutive years.
Roger Ackroyd, Scottish Water’s CEO, says: ‘Richard Ackroyd, chief executive, says: ‘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’.
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