BLOG: Today's Choices. Tomorrow's Water - Scottish Water Chair Deirdre Michie

“Scotland is performing well in terms of water and has the opportunity to lead — to show how a publicly owned utility can think long term, act responsibly, and put people before profit. ”

Deirdre Michie
Chair, Scottish Water

Every time we turn on the tap, we rely on decisions made years — sometimes decades — ago. 

The reservoirs built, the pipes laid, the treatment works designed, the standards set. Water feels immediate and effortless. In reality, it is the product of long-term thinking and careful stewardship, coupled with day-to-day operations and delivery. 

As Chair of Scottish Water, I am very aware that the decisions we take today will shape Scotland’s water for generations to come. 

That understanding sits at the heart of our next Business Plan for 2027–2033, which sets out a proposed £13.4 billion investment in water and wastewater services across Scotland over this six-year period. 

This is not investment for its own sake. It is investment rooted in responsibility. 

We are living through a period of profound change. Climate patterns are shifting. Rainfall is becoming more intense in some places and drought is more likely in others. Infrastructure built decades ago must now meet modern expectations and higher environmental standards. At the same time, many households continue to face real pressure on their finances. 

We cannot ignore these realities. 

Our role, as a publicly owned, independently regulated and commercially run organisation, is to think long term while acting with care today. That means protecting essential services, strengthening resilience, and safeguarding the environment — while also being disciplined and thoughtful stewards of customers’ money. 

More than 25,000 customers helped shape this plan. Their priorities were clear: maintain high standards of water quality, reduce leakage, protect rivers and seas, and keep bills as affordable as possible. 

We have listened carefully. In response, we have reduced our proposed annual increase in average charges and reprioritised around £400 million of investment into later years. 

Let me be clear: delaying investment is never something we do lightly. Water infrastructure does not pause because finances are tight. Pipes continue to age. Climate pressures continue to grow. The choices we make today shape the risks we carry tomorrow. 

But affordability matters deeply. Public ownership only works if it earns trust every single day. That means being transparent about difficult choices, rigorous in how we spend every pound, efficient in our operations, and honest about the risks we face. 

Around £8 billion of the proposed funding will go directly into renewing pipes, upgrading treatment works, and improving vital infrastructure across Scotland. The remainder will underpin the safe, daily operation of services that protect public health and our environment. This investment supports communities, jobs, and skills in every part of the country. Much of the system we rely on today was built by previous generations who invested with foresight. They understood that water infrastructure must be planned not in years, but in decades. 

We now carry that same responsibility of stewardship. 

The coming decade will test water systems across the UK, with the ever-changing climate and population shifts among a number of challenges. Scotland is performing well in terms of water and has the opportunity to lead — to show how a publicly owned utility can think long term, act responsibly, and put people before profit. 

Resilience, however, is not created by infrastructure alone. It is strengthened when all of us play our part — using water wisely, avoiding putting inappropriate items down sinks and toilets, and making sustainable choices in our homes and businesses. Public services work best when there is shared responsibility. 

Our proposed plan will now be scrutinised by the Water Industry Commission for Scotland. That independent challenge is welcome. It ensures that investment is necessary, efficient, and firmly in the public interest. 

Scottish Water exists for one reason: to serve Scotland. To protect something fundamental to our health, our environment, and our future prosperity. 

The decisions set out in this proposed plan will not only shape the next six years — they will influence the resilience of our services for decades to come. That is the nature of water infrastructure. It demands patience, prudenc,e and perspective. 

Our responsibility is not simply to manage a service. It is to safeguard a national asset, protect future generations, and ensure that when Scotland turns on the tap — today, tomorrow, and decades from now — it can do so with confidence and pride.