Why are bills going up now?
Over the last year, we've taken time to speak to many of our customers about the improvements they want to see, and the huge investment needed to deliver these. A lot of the funding will come from our shareholders, who have invested over £1.6 billion, almost £1,500 per customer, since 2021 (with no external dividends paid since 2017). However, to fully deliver on our commitments we also need to increase bills. Several other factors contribute to the rise.
Funding improvments
The UK water industry faces major challenges. To overcome them, we need careful planning and significant investment. Our Business Plan sets out these challenges and how we’ll respond — taking immediate and long-term action to improve performance, protect the environment, and continue to deliver high-quality water and wastewater services.