South Ayrshire Council News

The Scottish Government has made funding available to assist householders who currently get their water from a private supply where the water quality needs improving.

The Private Water Supplies (Grants) (Scotland) Regulations 2006 allow a grant of up to £800 per household to be awarded to improve private water supplies. In very exceptional circumstances discretionary grants in excess of £800 can be awarded if the Council is satisfied that eligible persons could not finance essential works to improve their water supply without ‘undue hardship’.

Members of South Ayrshire Council’s Leadership Panel welcomed the additional funding and agreed to introduce a grant scheme procedure in relation to the award of financial assistance to eligible persons to improve private water supplies.

The Environmental Health section of the Council are sending letters to all householders that have a private water supply informing them of the grant funding that they are eligible to apply for. The householders will also be asked to complete a questionnaire about their water supply so that the Council can update their records.

Councillor Bill McIntosh, the Council’s Portfolio Carrier for Resource and Performance said: “Private water supplies are regulated by local authorities using the Private Water Supply (Scotland) Regulations 2006 and the Water (Scotland) Act 1980, and they must be registered with the Council.

“It is very important that all householders have access to good quality water, so I would encourage householders who receive a letter to fill in the questionnaire and return it to the Council. It will only take a few minutes to do this and Environmental Health staff will be happy to give support and guidance to householders. Improving the quality of your water supply could prevent unnecessary illness.”

For applications of up to £800 the grant scheme is non-means tested and householders may be eligible for financial assistance if:

• Your home is served by a private water supply.
• The private water supply is the main or sole source of water for human consumption purposes.
• Your private water supply is in need of improvements to bring it up to modern standards.

If any work required will cost over £800 and the householder cannot afford to meet the cost of the works then they may ask for their application to be considered on a means tested basis. In this case, if they meet the criteria, the maximum amount of funding that could be granted would be £3,000 in total.

Householders wishing to apply for a grant should complete the appropriate form, provide a detailed estimate of the cost of any proposed works and ensure that no work is started until the Council has considered the grant application. Grants cannot be awarded for work that has already been carried out.

Environmental Health Officers will then carry out a risk assessment of the water supply and indicate and improvements that should be made.

Anybody who would like further advice or guidance about the scheme should contact Environment Health staff on telephone number 01292 618222 or speak to staff who are located in Burns House, Burns Statue Square in Ayr.