Working together
We can achieve much more for Yorkshire if we work together. Our public affairs team work with stakeholders to develop new partnerships to address the challenges we face as a region.
Developing our business plans
Every five years water companies must prepare plans that set out how they are going to deliver services in their area and how much these services will cost customers. Before we start each business plan, we work closely with customers and stakeholders to understand their priorities, so we can build a plan that reflects the needs of the region.
Find out more about our business plan for 2020 to 2025
Shaping our policy positions
Whenever we take a position on a particular issue, we always work with a range of stakeholders to understand all the different points of view. This helps us develop robust positions based on the best available evidence.
Investment in your area
Our investment programme means there's almost always something happening nearby and we keep our stakeholders informed about the progress we're making with our projects. This gives them the opportunity to help shape how we approach things and provide valuable local insight into any potential disruption our work could cause so we can adapt our plans.
Sharing our performance
Our work has a significant impact on the region so we regularly share information about our performance with our stakeholders. We aim to be open and transparent with our stakeholders and we regularly ask them how we can improve the information we share with them.
Our policy positions
Economic recovery
As major employers and deployers of capital in Yorkshire, we recognise that we have a role to play in supporting the region’s economic recovery. Over the past few months, we've been working with local and national government to explore the role we can play in supporting the post-covid recovery in Yorkshire. Our focus has been on developing proposals to bring forward green projects that support jobs and investment, but which also address key challenges like climate change.
Key documents
Environment
Protecting Yorkshire’s environment is at the core of our day-to-day business, from supplying our customers with a reliable source of clean water, to treating wastewater and returning it safely back to our rivers and coasts. We’re also the second biggest landowner in Yorkshire, so we have a key role to play in land management, both on our land and in working with others to influence how they manage their land.
Key documents
Response to the EFRA Select Committee Peatlands Inquiry
Response to the Environmental Audit Committee Inquiry into river water quality
Response to the EFRA call for evidence on commonly littered single use plastics – wet wipes
Joint response with United Utilities on Defra’s draft storm overflow discharge reduction plan
Consultation on the Government’s Storm Overflow Discharge Reduction Plan
Resilience
Climate change means we face some really big challenges in ensuring that we can continue to supply customers with enough safe, clean water and protect them from flooding. We need to think about how we do things differently in order to respond to these challenges and ensure we have a sustainable water supply in future.
Key documents
Evidence to the Public Accounts Committee Inquiry into Water Supply and Resilience
Submission to the EFRA Select Committee Flooding Inquiry
Response to Defra consultation on reducing personal water use
Regulation
The nature of the challenges we face means that regulation needs to change to ensure we are acting now to provide resilience for the future. We are keen to work with Government and regulators to shape future regulation ahead of the next Price Review in 2024.
Key documents
PR24 and beyond - 10 years of investment?