Utility Week

UTILITY WEEK | 13TH - 19TH DECEMBER 2019 | 19 Policy & Regulation "In terms of immediate actions, a steer- ing group to manage the achievement of the leakage PIC has been mobilised and we are working closely with UKWIR to develop a heat map highlighting leakage techni- cal capabilities and challenges across the industry. Make bills a ordable for all. Along with e• ciency, bills have risen since privatisation by around 40 per cent above in- ation – mostly in the early 1990s. The regulator stepped in and set a requirement to cut bills by £50 during PR19. The commitment to make bills aˆ ordable and end water poverty by 2030 is not insub- stantial, explains Heidi Mottram, chief exec- utive of Northumbrian – co-champion of the pledge – who says 24 per cent of customers spend more than 3 per cent of their house- hold income on water bills. United Utilities chief executive Steve Mog- ford also champions aˆ ordability. He tells Utility Week the pledge is to assist house- holds that " nd it di• cult to pay their water bills. "All water companies provide an array of excellent schemes to help customers, but this commitment recognises how we need to continue and, more importantly, enhance our eˆ orts to help those most in need of sup- port," he says. "By setting a stretching goal for all com- panies, our aim is to drive innovation in developing new schemes to help custom- ers, help us identify new partnerships with other organisations who support customers in vulnerable circumstances, and provide a platform to work with stakeholders to over- haul the barriers that make it di• cult for us to help more people. Achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2030. Next on the list is the pledge to achieve net zero carbon across the sector by 2030 – ahead of national goals. Simpson, who co-champions carbon emissions with Heidi Mottram, says the PIC signals a signi" cant increase in the momen- tum, technology and innovation required to tackle such a big challenge. "It's easy to say, but it's a huge undertak- ing… Work has already begun on establish- ing our industry baseline and understanding what work and good practice is already under way and can be shared. Our next step will be to develop centres of excellence to exchange knowledge and opportunities for future projects and new ways of working. "Building on the work already done on reducing carbon in construction, we're now looking to plant 11 million trees as an industry. Aside from looking at how we can reduce operational and capital carbon, this part of our promise enables us to give something back directly to our environ- ment while reducing carbon and enhancing biodiversity." Mottram recognises the opportunities the challenge represents: "Given this will impact new technology, new ways of working and processes, it's a measure that will touch every element of the water sector. "It's also not a one-size-" ts-all or one where progress must be dictated – instead we're looking for individual and collabora- tive innovation to reduce carbon from our sector. At Northumbrian we already plan to be carbon neutral by 2027 – and examples like our partnership with Ørsted in the UK's " rst oˆ shore wind corporate PPA [power purchase agreement] show the scale of the ambition required." Reduce single-use plastic across the sector. The fourth pledge calls for industry-wide action to eliminate single-use plastics in company operations and prevent the use of single-use plastic bottles in wider society by promoting re" ll points. The champions of this PIC – Mel Karam, chief executive of Bristol Water, and Colin Skellett, chief executive of Wessex Water, are leading the group that is working with stake- holders on delivery. Skellett says each company has been sur- veyed to set out what they are doing to tackle the issue. "A working group has been formed to measure progress, chaired by Neil Dewis from Yorkshire Water, and the feedback has been really positive. Most companies have already started installing water re" ll points in their areas and, through Water UK, are working with the non-pro" t organisation City to Sea to support this work. "We're all taking stock of what we can do internally and within our supply chains to reduce single-use plastics, which we know is essential to protect our environment for future generations." 100 per cent commitment to the Social Mobility Pledge. The " nal pledge is to achieve 100 per cent commitment to social mobility. This commits companies to partner with schools and col- leges to provide coaching, work experience and apprenticeships as well as adopting open employee recruitment practices. It is championed by Liv Gar" eld, chief executive of Severn Trent, which supports people from all backgrounds. The intention to make companies more accountable and their actions more visible to the public they serve is timely at a point when trust in the industry is low and calls for renationalisation make headlines, but will it be enough to change minds and habits? Simpson, who co-champions two of the PICs, says the commitments demonstrate what the sector is doing to change. "People want to know, 'is this our water company? Is it serving the local community?' I'm proud to say yes, it is. The PICs from Water UK are saying, yes, it is. We want to eliminate water poverty and we want to lower bills, improve leakage – all these sorts of things are to show that companies are working for the customer." Ruth Williams, water correspondent, Utility Week The full article is available to Utility Week subscribers at: www.utilityweek.co.uk "We're serious not just about delivering the status quo, we've got some real ambition in there." Peter Simpson, chief executive, Anglian Water "We already plan to be carbon neutral by 2027." Heidi Mottram, chief executive, Northumbrian Water

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