It's not free - there are explicit charges for it attached to our council taxes?

I literally said “I.e. paid for by taxes” :)

But it’s unmetered, unlike most of the UK, and, as the other poster mentioned, cheaper.

	▲	arethuza 4 days ago \| parent \| next [-]
		Nitpick: "Water and waste water charges are set by Scottish Water and billed alongside council tax." They aren't a tax themselves. https://www.fife.gov.uk/kb/docs/articles/housing/council-tax...
	▲	graemep 4 days ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		Unmetered water is still common in the rest of the UK. There is a gradual move to metering. I think there is a good argument for metering water - it provides an incentive not to waste it, and potable water is expensive to supply and has a significant environmental impact. It does need to be affordable even to people on the lowest incomes though.