House

Why are bills going up?

We’ve been listening to customers and communities right across the North West’s five counties to understand what really matters to develop plans that are more relatable to the communities we serve. That’s why we are delivering the largest investment in water and wastewater infrastructure in over 100 years, with more than £13 billion planned between 2025 and 2030 to build a stronger, greener and healthier North West for everyone.

The scale of our five-year investment plan means that unfortunately bills will need to increase to ensure that the services we provide are resilient to climate change, meet the demands of our growing population and address the priorities of our customers 

It’s a hugely ambitious plan that will support 30,000 jobs across the region, and we’ve engaged with 95,000 people in Cumbria, Lancashire, Merseyside, Greater Manchester and Cheshire, to make sure we get it right, shaping our plans for each county to address the things that you’ve told us matter most.  

Our 2025-2030 plan includes:

  • Improve water quality for 1.4 million customers
  • Invest in a programme to build a network fit for the future, fixing leaks and replacing old pipes and mains.
  • Improve the quality of our rivers by reducing storm overflow spills by 60% over the decade to 2030.
  • Help to protect and enhance over 500km of rivers and improve the North West’s bathing waters.
  • Strengthen our sewer network against increased rainfall to reduce flooding of homes and businesses.
  • Deliver a £525 million package of support to help one in six households who may struggle to pay their bills.
  • Our five-year investment plan will support 30,000 jobs and attract investment into the North West to help us deliver our improvements.