About Us

The Water Industry Commission for Scotland’s role is to promote the interests of current and future water and sewerage customers in Scotland.

Through our work we are helping deliver the jointly agreed vision for Scotland’s water sector. The vision is the first time that a common vision has been owned by all stakeholders – marking a new, collaborative way of working between Scottish Water, its regulator and other stakeholders.

The sector vision

Sector vision
  • Together we will support the health and wellbeing of the nation. We will ensure that all of Scotland gets excellent quality drinking water that people can enjoy all of the time. Scotland’s waste water will be collected, treated and recycled in ways that generate value and protect the environment. We will enable the economy to prosper.
  • We will transform how we work to live within the means of our planet’s resources, enhance the natural environment and maximise our positive contribution to Scotland achieving net zero emissions.
  • We will involve and inspire Scotland’s people to love their water and only use what they need. We will promote access to the natural environment and encourage communities to enjoy and protect it.
  • We will be agile and will collaborate within the sector and with others to be resilient to the challenges that will face us. We will keep services affordable by innovating and delivering the greatest possible value from our resources, helping those who need it most. We will serve all customers and communities in a way that is fair and equitable to present and future generations.
  • We are a vital part of a flourishing Scotland.

Our overall governance framework

WICS is a non-departmental public body with statutory duties. 

We are sponsored by the Scottish Government’s Directorate for Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform.  The broad framework within which we operate is set out in a Framework Document, a document agreed between WICS and Scottish Ministers.

We report on our performance against the commitments we make in our Corporate Plan. 

 

WICS’s culture

The team who work at WICS come from wide-ranging backgrounds including economics, finance, management consulting, mathematics, engineering, sustainability and communications. 

The WICS board uses the Corporate Plan over the forthcoming regulatory control period to monitor progress against the commitments in the plan. We also report progress against a more detailed annual work plan in our annual report.

Perhaps more important than our backgrounds is the fact that we are open-minded and intellectually-curious.

  • We believe that only by looking to the long-term will the water sector in Scotland be able to face the challenges of the future.
  • Our reputation stands on the quality of our analysis.  Our methods, findings and conclusions are regularly peer reviewed by academics.
  • We value the contributions others in the field of regulation can make, and contribute our own learnings. 
Long-term approach

Investment today will help ensure that Scotland’s water industry remains fit for the future.

Keep reading
OECD Peer Review

The OECD set out key insights and recommendations to inform future regulatory approaches.

View the report

Doing regulation differently

Our approach to regulation is evolving. We’re working in new ways to achieve better outcomes for customers.

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