The UK also has a partially privatised water system. When it first happened it was highly controversial, especially regional price disparities.<p>Now years later there&#x27;s an interesting political storm in Scotland which has retained a public water utility. The public sector has to contract out for water supplies and a private bidder came in with a much lower bid. The Scottish Government, for various reasons not least that the private bidder was English, gave Scottish Water three opportunities to try and make a more competitive offer - they couldn&#x27;t.