WICS has already delivered significant value: helping improve outcomes across Scotland’s water sector while also reshaping our own organisation to reduce costs, strengthen capability and focus resources where they make the biggest difference.

Our contribution to Scotland’s water sector

More affordable services

• Bills are around £120 lower than would otherwise have been required. 
• Customers pay around £100 less on average than customers in England and Wales. 
• Scotland continues to benefit from some of the lowest water charges in Great Britain.

More stable bills 

• Water charges have remained broadly stable compared with elsewhere in Great Britain. 
• Bill increases have generally been lower than many other household costs.

Better services

• Customer service and operational performance have improved.
• Greater confidence that customer money is being used efficiently, through independent challenge and scrutiny.

Long-term stewardship 

• Investment per person is 38% higher than the England and Wales average. 
• Debt per person is around half the level seen in England and Wales. 
• Investment has increased in a way that balances affordability today with resilience for future generations.

Delivering a more efficient WICS 

A clearer organisational structure 

• Leadership redesign delivering around £300k of recurring annual savings. 
• Clearer accountability and stronger governance arrangements.

Stronger internal capability 

• Greater in-house expertise reducing reliance on external consultants. 
• Around £200k of recurring annual savings from reduced consultancy spend.

Smarter ways of working 

• Accommodation sharing and lease renegotiation reducing costs by around £50k per year.
• Technology and digital improvements delivering around £45k per year in recurring savings.

More targeted investment in people 

• More focused learning and development arrangements generating around £80k per year in savings.

We aim to demonstrate the same commitment to efficiency and value for money that we expect from those we regulate. The changes made during 2021-27 have helped us deliver more with less. Without these efficiencies, the cost of running WICS would be around £675k higher each year.