The five-year plan for Reykjavík Energy calls for a 37% increase in the price of hot water over the next five years, Fréttablaðið reports. Social Democrats accuse outgoing mayor Hanna Birna Kristjánsdóttir of hiding this information before the elections. Hanna Birna denies any secrecy.
According to the plan, the price of hot water will not go up this year, and actually has not been raised for many years. In this way, the company argues, Reykjavík residents have actually seen a drop in the price of water, when accounting for inflation is taken into account. This plan was put forward in city council yesterday.
Social Democrat city councilperson Sigrún Elsa Smáradóttir criticized the outgoing mayor Hanna Birna Kristjánsdóttir of purposefully hiding this information. The Social Democrats had asked back in January what Reykjavík Energy’s plan was, she contends, and yet no answer was forthcoming until after elections were over and done with.
Hanna Birna, for her part, has denied that anything information was concealed, saying that in fact the new price list was brought up in city council, and she made a formal acknowledgement of the data on 19 May. She added furthermore that she believes a 37% increase in the price of hot water is out of the question.
Currently, the Best Party and the Social Democrats are negotiating a new majority in city council. Social Dem city councilperson Dagur B. Eggertsson told reporters that he cannot answer whether or not the new majority with agree to an increase in the price of hot water.