Our mission
Customers:
To provide reliable, affordable services for all customers and communities.
Environment:
To deliver a better environment for nature and people.
Employees:
To be a great place to work for all.
Investors:
To be a trusted, financially strong company with fair investor returns.
Our values
Ethical:
We are honest and ethical in the way we conduct our business.
Respect:
We treat our customers, the wider community, the environment and one another with respect.
Value:
We value everybody’s contribution and ensure the health, safety and welfare of all our colleagues.
Long-term:
We are a long-term business; we plan, innovate and invest for future resilience.
Our purpose
The world is changing fast with great technological, political and social transformation taking place around us all.
Our purpose has been developed through engagement with our entire business and our stakeholders.
It is set, owned and embedded by our board, who have worked with all our stakeholders including colleagues from all levels and all departments to form a set of commitments that we can all aspire to.
Our purpose commitments
We commit to:
- Providing essential public health and environmental services.
- Playing a full part in the communities we serve.
- Supporting and driving economic growth across our region.
- Ensuring everyone can benefit from and afford our services.
- Promoting social mobility, inclusion and diversity, both within Wessex Water and with the stakeholders with whom we interact.
- Growing skills and providing opportunities in a workforce that reflects the communities we serve through apprenticeships and education.
- Delivering net environmental gain every year, improving the natural capital of our region through our work to reduce pollution, conserve water, promote sustainable agriculture and eliminate single-use plastic.
- Continuing our development of a clear plan to respond to the climate emergency and become carbon neutral by 2030.
- Investing more in existing infrastructure to renew ageing assets and provide resilience in the face of climate change.
- Championing greater use of real competition.
- Engaging directly with the communities we serve and other stakeholders, so our priorities reflect their priorities.
- Working closely with our supply chain to support their international opportunities for the benefit of “UK plc”.
- Speaking out clearly and visibly on all these issues, powerfully articulating our story and taking others with us.
Embedding our purpose
We recognise that we have a critical role to play that goes far beyond the responsibility of providing an essential public service.
We have an opportunity to help tackle the climate emergency, to support the communities we serve and to contribute to the growth of the UK economy.
These opportunities form the core of our Strategic Direction Statement and our Business Plan, reflecting our long-term commitment to build a sustainable future with the support of our customers, communities, employees and stakeholders.
We consult regularly through the Wessex Water Challenge Group, our People’s Council, our Customer Panel, our Young People’s Panel and frequent customer surveys.
To deliver against these commitments, we need our people to understand our aims and live our values every day. We do this through visible messaging, training, policies and regular reviews to ensure that everyone feels our strength of purpose.
As the ultimate owner of our purpose, our board is committed to considering all stakeholders in its decision making with the aim of ensuring the long-term success of the company including its delivery for customers, communities, employees, regulators, investors and our supply chain.