We spend a lot of time talking to MPs, local authorities and other stakeholders to help shape the work we do. You can find out more about the kind of things we are talking to our stakeholders about below, or see case studies of this engagement in action.
Developing new initiatives with our regional partners
We know that we can achieve much more for our region if we work together. One of the key roles of our public affairs team is to work with stakeholders in Yorkshire to develop new partnerships that can help us address the challenges we face as a region. Partnerships can be across a range of areas including improving the environment, reducing the risk of flooding and providing extra support to our customers and colleagues.
Read more about some of the partnerships we’ve been working on recently
Involving stakeholders in the development of our business plans
Every five years water companies must prepare business plans that set out how they plan to deliver services in their area and how much these services will cost customers. These business plans are developed with customers and stakeholders and are then submitted to the industry regulator Ofwat for their approval.
Ahead of the development of each business plan we work closely with stakeholders in the region to understand their priorities so that we can build a plan that reflects the needs of the region.
Working with stakeholders to shape our position on key issues
The range of things a water company does means that our work covers a number of policy areas. Whenever we take a position on a particular issue, we will always look to work with a range of interested stakeholders to understand all different points of view on the subject. This helps us develop robust positions based on the best available evidence. Where we share similar views with stakeholders on how public policy could be improved, we often work with them to make the case for change.
Keeping stakeholders informed about investment in their area
One of the things our stakeholders are most interested in is the investment in their area. Our investment programme means there is almost always something happening nearby and we spend a lot of time keeping stakeholders informed about the progress we are making with our projects.
By keeping stakeholders informed of our investment plans they have the opportunity to help shape how we approach things and provide valuable local insight into any potential disruption our work could cause allowing us to adapt our plans accordingly where possible.
Sharing information on our performance
As our work has such a significant impact on the region we regularly share information on our performance with our stakeholders. We aim to be open and transparent with stakeholders around our performance and we regularly ask them how we can improve the information we share with them.
See the reports that form the basis of the performance information we share with stakeholders