Time to Rethink Your Relationship with Water

“If we all pull together we can chart a course to a brighter future.”

Alex Plant
CEO, Scottish Water

We are calling on everyone in Scotland to rethink their relationship with water and about how they use it in the face of growing challenges.

As a publicly-owned utility, we're urging our customers to have their say on how the country’s water – nature’s most precious resource – should be managed now and in the future. 

People are being asked to give their views on the priorities needed to safeguard Scotland’s water supplies in the face of challenges including more extreme weather, the need to update aging water and waste water assets, and keeping up with population growth and change, with more people moving from west to east.

We have launched a seven-week consultation asking people to help shape its planning for the next 25 years. The Long-Term Strategy, Our Sustainable Future Together, will set out how we plan to ensure Scotland’s water and waste water services continue to be sustainable, resilient and affordable for generations to come. 

Alex Plant, Chief Executive of Scottish Water, said: “As a nation we all need to rethink our relationship with water – how much we use, what we flush down the toilet, how we manage where rainwater drains to, and how all of this affects our precious natural environment. 

“We know the Scotland of 2050 will look different from how it does now, and this will affect us all. The challenges we face, most acutely from the more extreme weather patterns that are now the norm, will mean we all need to think about water, waste water and drainage very differently. And that is not just us as a vital service provider but everyone in Scotland, as we all need water for our everyday lives.

“The future is challenging but there are opportunities ahead too. This strategy proposes that we become bolder and more innovative in the way we face these issues and find new and lasting solutions to ensure Scotland continues to grow and flourish. 

"We want to help lead and inspire by delivering cost-effective and sustainable solutions which can benefit customers and communities across the country and safeguard our natural environment. I’m keen to hear views from people across the country about the approach we are proposing.”

Scottish Water forecasts that, without major changes, the funding needed to deliver sustainable services over the next 25 years would require around £50 billion to be invested in water and waste water services. 

We hope that by driving further innovation, more collaboration with other sectors, and helping customers to think about the way they use water – such as using less and doing more to prevent leaks and environment pollution - we can reduce the amount needed to invest in its assets, keeping customer bills as low as possible.

Mr Plant said: “We start in a good place as Scotland has natural advantages we can maximise. We have among the best-rated water body quality in Europe and a very high standard of drinking water quality, described as ‘world-class’. But we need everyone to play their part in protecting these, and more.
 
“If we all pull together we can chart a course to a brighter future. We are all going to have to do our bit to innovate, collaborate, and ultimately think differently about water and how and where we invest ensuring customers get value for every pound spent.

“With the help of our customers and stakeholders, including our regulators, we can ensure we balance the need for investment with affordability to ensure the people of Scotland continues to benefit from world-class water services they rightly expect.

“In the last 20 years, Scottish Water has made significant improvements with tap water quality, environmental impact, and efficiency all improved, helped by effective independent regulation.  

"In the next 25 years, we can achieve a great deal more, especially if we all love and value our water.”

People can have their say by taking part in the consultation - which will run until 23 March 2025.