Water services: investing in and paying from 2027

Overview

Scottish Water supplies clean water to 97% of households and businesses in Scotland and provides wastewater services to 93%. Scottish Water is a public corporation accountable to the Scottish Ministers and the Scottish Parliament. It is regulated to ensure services are efficient, meet mandatory standards and operate in an environmentally sustainable way.

Customers fund these services and ongoing investment through charges collected alongside council tax. Plans for water and wastewater services are set in six-year regulatory cycles. This consultation focuses on planning for the next cycle (2027–2033).

We need to balance several priorities – high-quality water, a safe and reliable water supply and wastewater treatment, and reducing environmental impact – all while keeping services affordable. This consultation on Ministerial Objectives asks for your views on what matters most for spending in the next cycle. Your feedback on the Principles of Charging will also help us understand how you would prefer to pay for those priorities.

Scotland’s publicly owned water model enables close collaboration between Scottish Government, Scottish Water, regulators and Consumer Scotland to ensure value for money and to adapt plans to meet emerging needs.

Your feedback will inform Ministers’ decisions on objectives and charging principles for the next regulatory period. A partial Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment (BRIA) has been published to support this process, alongside consideration of consumer impacts and inequalities.

We welcome early responses to help shape the future of Scotland’s water services.

Read this alongside the full Consultation Document

Read the consultation paper. The consultation paper contains full background information for this consultation. You may find it useful to read or refer to while responding.

To help you answer the consultation questions, it’s a good idea to read this summary alongside the full consultation document. The main document gives more detail about the challenges Scotland faces, how the water system works, and what different choices might mean for the future. Reading both together will make it easier for you to understand the issues and give clear, helpful answers.

Together, we can help Scotland look after its water so that it stays clean, safe, and available for everyone, now and in the future.

Consultation questions preview Consultation questions preview

The consultation questions are included here for your reference. Please click 'Begin consultation' at the bottom of this page to proceed.

Question 1 – To what extent do you agree that the Ministerial Objectives identify the type of investment activity Scottish Water should undertake in 2027-33?

Question 2 – Which areas should Scottish Water be investing in that are not covered or are there areas that are not required?

Question 3 – What do you value most about the water and wastewater services provided by Scottish Water?

Question 4 – Do you have any concerns about the water and wastewater services provided by Scottish Water?

Question 5a – To what extent do you agree or disagree that the charging approach set out in the draft Principles of Charging remains appropriate for the next 6 year regulatory period 2027-2033?

Question 5b - Please explain your answer to question 5a.

Question 6a - To what extent do you agree or disagree that continuing to provide households with support for charges at the current level over the next regulatory period 2027-2033 will minimise the charge increases for all households?

Question 6b - Please explain your answer to question 6a.

Question 7a - To what extent do you agree or disagree that the current eligibility criteria for the charity exemption scheme remain appropriate?

Question 7b - Please explain your answer question 7a.

Question 8a - To what extent do you agree or disagree that a fundamental review of charging policy is needed, to ensure it meets emerging policy needs and to inform the approach for the next regulatory period starting in 2033?

Question 8b - Please explain your answer to question 8a.

Useful information about responding to this consultation Useful information about responding to this consultation

As you complete your response, each page will provide the option to 'Save and come back later' at the bottom. This means you can save your progress and return to the consultation at any time before it closes. If you don't use this feature and leave the consultation midway through, your response will be lost.

Once you have submitted your response, you can enter your email address to get a pdf copy of your answers sent to you.

On the 'About You' page at the end of this consultation, organisations will have the opportunity to tell us more about their work and/or how their response was informed.

After the consultation has closed there will be a few months delay before any responses are published. This is because we must check any responses to be published abide by our Terms of Use.

All relevant submitted responses will be analysed. This may be carried out by third party organisations who Scottish Government, its executive agencies or non-ministerial offices, contract to do this work. Such data sharing will be governed by appropriate contractual arrangements to keep your data secure.

An analysis report will usually be published some months after the consultation has closed. This report will summarise the findings based on all responses submitted. It will be published on the Scottish Government website and you may be notified about it if you choose to share your email address with us.

You can also join our consultation mailing list where we regularly list newly published analysis reports (as well as new consultations).

Why your views matter

Scotland’s water is important to all of us. We use it every day for drinking, washing and cooking. Scottish Water works hard to keep our water clean and safe, and to look after our rivers, seas and the environment. But things are changing, and we need your help to plan for the future.

Climate change is already making our weather more extreme. Some summers are getting drier, which means there is less water in our reservoirs. At other times, heavy rain can cause flooding and put pressure on drains and sewers. Our water pipes and systems are also getting older and need more care and investment to keep working well.

This consultation is your chance to have a say in what happens next. By taking part, you can help the Scottish Government decide:

What Scottish Water should focus on over the next few years – like fixing old pipes, improving drinking water, protecting nature, or reducing flooding.
How money should be spent to keep water services high‑quality and reliable.
How charges should work, so they stay fair and affordable for everyone.

Your views matter because decisions made now will affect how Scotland’s water system works for many years to come. When you share your thoughts, you help make sure the plans reflect what people care about most – whether that’s the environment, keeping services reliable, or making sure costs stay under control.

Give us your views

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