Waterwatch Scotland has submitted its response to the recent SEPA consultation on Proposals to Amend the Water Environment (Controlled Activities) Fees and Charges (Scotland) Scheme. This is the charging system that SEPA introduced in 2006 to support their work in protecting and improving the water environment. Those who discharge into a water course need a licence to do so, and some licences can be quite complex. Charges are influenced by measure of environmental risk, e.g. lower charges for multiple activities and no charges for delivering environmental improvements. Activities governed by SEPA licences are: discharges, disposal to land, abstractions, impoundments and some engineering activities affecting the water environment.
The consultation proposed amendments to application and subsistence charges to, amongst other things, simplify the scheme, make the scheme more risk-based, better reflect the delivery of efficiencies and address some under recovery of fees.
Waterwatch Scotland, as the customer representative body for Scotland’s water customers, welcomes the proposed cost efficiencies that will be passed to licence applicants. “The application of broad based principles of charging that are fair, equitable, stable and affordable is a must for charging regimes, and Waterwatch Scotland welcomes SEPA’s stance on this” commented Heather Brash, Convener of Waterwatch Scotland. “However, we are aware that the cost of compliance within the pricing regime may have a financial impact on Scottish Water that will ultimately be reflected in its charges to its customers. Waterwatch Scotland will monitor this as our remit is to ensure that customers are presented with fair and affordable charges” she said.
To view Waterwatch Scotland’s response, please click on Waterwatch Scotland response to SEPA Charging Scheme Consultation 2009 (35Kb, pdf)
Note to Editors:
Waterwatch Scotland (WWS) is the national complaints handling authority for all domestic and non-domestic water customers and customer representative body for the water industry in Scotland.
WWS is independent of Scottish Water, government and other water/sewerage service providers. Its role is to:
- Investigate Complaints
- Represent Customers’ Views & Interests
- Influence Policy
- Inform & Advise
WWS’ responsibility for second-tier complaints handling means that WWS can take forward individual customer grievances against Scottish Water or other providers.
WWS can also make statutory recommendations to Scottish Ministers, Scottish Water and other service providers, and industry regulators: Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), Drinking Water Quality Regulator (DWQR) and the Water Industry Commission for Scotland (WICS).
From time to time, WWS receives complaints which are of such importance or have a public-interest impact beyond the specific complaint itself, that WWS will issue a formal report on the complaint and greater issues raised.
In addition to the making of such formal reports and the findings and recommendations made, a key role of WWS is to continue to work to ensure that such recommendations are adopted in the interest of customers to mitigate and prevent future occurrences.
Issued on behalf of Waterwatch Scotland, Corporate Office, Forrester Lodge, Inglewood, Alloa, FK10 2HU