Thank You for Helping Us to Keep Services Continuing Despite the Pandemic Page 2
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News from South West Water Issue 32, Summer 2020 Thank you for helping us to keep services continuing despite the pandemic Page 2 A New Deal Save 5 litres All the right words What it means Play your part, Win a £100 shopping for you be water smart voucher Page 4-5 Page 6 Page 7 Waterlevel issue 32 Waterlevel issue 32 Susan A big year for Davy Pennon Group Chief Executive Welcomes you to the Summer It’s been a big year for South West 2020 edition of Waterlevel. Water’s parent company, Pennon Group. Reducing In July, the FTSE 100-listed Group, which is based in Exeter, completed Welcome to the first edition of Waterlevel for our new 2020-25 business the sale of Viridor – one of the UK’s biggest recycling companies – and plan. As well as updates on our plans and progress, plus tips to help you announced it would be focused solely on excellence in water and wastewater save water and money, this issue summarises our New Deal plan, which going forward. includes a unique scheme called WaterShare+. pollutions To coincide with the changes, Pennon’s Chairman and CEO Sir John Parker As part of WaterShare+, we’ll soon be sharing £20 million of cost and Chris Loughlin decided they would stand down, with Gill Rider and Susan savings achieved during our regulated 2015-20 plan. One million eligible Davy (previously Chief Financial Officer) taking their places. customers will be contacted with details about the rebate. The changes meant Pennon became the second ever FTSE 100 company to As well as sharing financial benefits if we beat tough targets, the scheme Our 2020-25 business plan set out our ambitious have a Chairwoman and a female Chief Executive simultaneously, with Susan enables you to have more control in what we do and how we do it. Spot it, as the seventh FTSE 100 female Chief Executive. targets for reducing pollution incidents. That’s not something you hear other utilities doing very often, if ever. In other news for Pennon, the Group once again secured the Fair Tax Mark – While we have significantly improved our performance in some key areas, We’re proud to have pioneered this approach in the water industry. the independent certification which recognises those organisations which pay particularly in reducing the most serious pollutions, we know we have more to report it It’s the right and responsible thing to do. the right amount of tax, in the right way. do to tackle minor, less serious pollutions. One of the key areas that we want to improve is around pollution incidents that If you spot anything you think could be pollution, happen on the network of sewers that move wastewater from customers’ please call our 24-hour services helpline on homes to our treatment works. As our network is spread over a large and often 0344 346 2020 or report it on our rural area, it can be a challenge to identify and respond quickly enough to website southwestwater.co.uk/pollution potential pollution. To help us improve, we’ve established a dedicated task force to focus on Keeping pollutions and employed more operators to carry out sewer cleansing and pumping station inspections and maintenance. When pollutions happen, as well as responding quickly to minimise any impact on the environment, we are looking very carefully at what caused them and what we can do to prevent Major sewer upgrade going them happening again. for Carbis Bay You can play your part by helping to prevent sewer blockages, which cause about a fifth of all minor, less serious pollution incidents. Only flush the 3Ps – pee, paper and poo – down the loo and dispose of cooking fat, oil, grease and Earlier this year we completed a major during food waste in the bin not the sink. scheme to upgrade sections of sewer in You can read the plan at southwestwater.co.uk/newdeal Carbis Bay, Cornwall, to improve the service Covid-19 to residents and businesses. Isles of Scilly New research programme The project involved upgrading sections of sewer along St Ives Road The Coronavirus crisis has and Longstone Hill by relining the existing pipe with four layers of We have teamed up with the University of Exeter to recycled, environmentally friendly felt impregnated with resin. tested and affected us all. launch a new collaborative research programme. Preparatory work carried out in late 2019 provided more detailed On 1 April 2020, South West Water became We’ve managed to keep our essential services going due to the fantastic surveys of the sewers than had previously been available, and the appointed water and wastewater efforts of our frontline key workers, some of whom are pictured on the Designed to solve some of the most pressing global challenges of determined that some sections that were originally planned to be front cover, as well as those who have adjusted to home working. A big our time, the Centre for Resilience in Environment, Water and Waste upgraded were not in a condition that required renewal or relining. shout out to you too, for respecting social distancing and recognising (CREWW) will research and develop solutions to some of the biggest company for the Isles of Scilly. Using this new knowledge – the value of what we do as we’ve gone about our work. It’s greatly environmental and operational challenges in the water sector. and following feedback from This means that South West Water now has responsibility for the islands’ appreciated. existing water and wastewater infrastructure, formerly owned by the Council There are five areas of research: clean drinking water; the safe treatment residents – we focused on relining of the Isles of Scilly, the Duchy of Cornwall and the Tresco Estate. We know it’s been, and remains, a particularly tough time for many of and disposal of wastewater; predicting and preventing pollution; water only the most essential sections our customers. We reached out with support and more than 20,000 of supply resilience; and protecting the water supply network. of sewer. This reduced the period We are also responsible for sending bills, reading meters and customer you registered for extra help and informed us of your circumstances. If of disruption for residents and services on the islands. We look forward to working closely with the island We will be looking at how we can tackle the challenges of population you’re struggling to pay a bill, please do let us know. Support is available growth, climate change and other issues such as emerging pollutants. businesses, requiring shorter road community as we invest to ensure resilience in the services we provide. and we’re happy to help in any way we can. closures than originally planned and CREWW will see geographers, biologists, psychologists, engineers and enabled us to complete the scheme This is the first time island residents will have received a copy To register for assistance, please visit: of Waterlevel – welcome, and we hope you enjoy it! economists, in addition to behavioural scientists, robotics experts, three weeks ahead of schedule. southwestwater.co.uk/coronavirus mathematicians and other academics, brought together with our own experts to work together to find new ways of solving these challenges. 2 3 Waterlevel issue 32 • Address water poverty • Provide outstanding We also by making bills more customer service affordable for all • Deliver our promises, • Deliver environmental supporting the regional pledge to: leadership economy and our communities A key feature of our New Deal is Our unique scheme, which shares our success with you and gives you a greater say in A New Deal our business, has two main parts: 1. Sharing our success 2. A greater say How we will do it One million South West Water and • WaterShare+ panel meetings in public every It’s not just about what we’re doing, but also Our Business Plan for Bournemouth Water customers will each three months how we’re doing it. receive a £20 rebate from a pot of £20 million Highlights include: of cost savings achieved by South West Water - Independent Chair and panel • We will operate in your best interests 2020-25 and what it in our last business plan, from 2015-2020. Our - Hear about plans and progress • We will ensure strong financial control, sound efficiency means you benefit. administration, good governance and take a • A unique scheme which • Working together to - Ask the panel and SWW directors questions means for you shares our success with you reduce how much water we Each eligible customer will receive a £20 rebate, responsible approach to corporation tax and gives you more of a say use in our homes – saving and you will be able to choose how to receive it • Customer Annual General Meeting • We will maintain transparent and clear (from 2021) in our business money in the short term either as: policies for dividends and executive pay Over the next five years, customers and helping secure water • A credit on your bill*, or which are grounded in the delivery of our • Extending our services supplies in the future commitments to you. can look forward to lower bills, further to the Isles of Scilly • Shares in our parent company, Exeter-based “The New Deal is about doing the right thing. It ensures that References to the customer share offer (the “Offer”) in Pennon • Expansion of flagship Pennon Group Plc. Group Plc (“Pennon”) on this page are an advertisement investment and more of a say in • Extra steps to ensure our customers remain at the heart of catchment management The shares choice will require an online and not a prospectus for the purposes of the EU Prospectus services are affordable and Regulation.