We’re pleased to report that Ofwat have reached a conclusion on their consultation of February 2019 and are ‘minded to’ appoint South West Water to the Isles of Scilly area. The report states:
“This is a minded-to decision on our proposal to vary the area of appointment of South West Water Limited so that it becomes the appointed water and wastewater company for the Isles of Scilly. We consulted on our proposal in February 2019.
This takes the form of a “minded to” decision because the decision can only be made once the Water Industry Act 1991 has been extended to include the Isles of Scilly.
We are minded to vary South West Water Limited’s licence when the legislation is in place.”
The relevant legislation is expected to come into effect in November 2019, subject to Parliamentary scrutiny. Assuming this legislation is passed, it is likely that the variation from Ofwat would come into effect on 1 April 2020.
Robert Francis, Chairman of the Council, said: “this is obviously very positive news for the Isles of Scilly and an important step in the process of transferring water services to South West Water. Ensuring a reliable, sustainable and compliant water and wastewater service is vital to the future of the islands. We hope that the transfer process continues to run smoothly and we can benefit from the expertise and investment of South West Water to safeguard our water supply for years to come.”
You can read the full Ofwat conclusion report at the following link:
https://www.ofwat.gov.uk/publication/minded-to-decision-to-vary-south-we...