Rhoda Grant, Highlands and Islands Labour MSP has described as ‘despicable’ the bonuses awarded to the three top executives of publicly owned Scottish Water..

• Douglas Millican, salary of £267,000 and a bonus of £92,000
• Peter Farrer, salary of £197,000 and a bonus of £68,000
• Alan Scott, salary of £195,000 and a bonus of £67,000

Rhoda Grant said:

“These bonuses are despicable.

“Families the length and breadth of the country are struggling with the cost of living crisis.

“Scottish Minister’s should not have approved these bonuses while households are facing rises in their water bills of at least 12% in coming months. Scottish Water and the Scottish Government could have instead offset this money against tax payers’ bills.

“It’s another kick to hardworking householders throughout the country.”

Scotland’s public drinking water and sewerage services are provided by Scottish Water, a public company accountable to Scottish Ministers and Scottish Parliament.

In the period 2020/21 prices to the customer increased by 0.9%. The group surplus before tax for the year to 31 March 2021 decreased by £51.7 million to £34.0 million (2020: £85.7 million).

The amount households pay for water and waste water services in 2022/23 will rise by 4.2 % .

Douglas Millican, chief executive of Scottish Water, the fourth largest water services provider in the UK, said:

“Customers rely on our services for their daily water needs and to take away and clean the water they use. Over the last two years those services have been vital to maintaining public health during the pandemic. 

“We have been recognised as leading in the water sector in the UK on customer service excellence, the quality of Scotland’s drinking water remains very high, and we are investing to protect the environment from pollution.  

“Higher levels of investment are needed to protect services now and over the long term, particularly in meeting the challenges of more intense rainfall, flooding, and drought, and reducing carbon emissions. 

“We understand there needs to be a balance between the need for higher levels of investment and the financial challenges faced by households at the present time. We have set charges at a level that takes account of those challenges while being open and clear that charges will need to increase further in future years.”