Work with communities

Question 11 asks for respondents’ view on the most important aspects of Anglian Water’s work with communities.

Q11. Which aspects of our work with communities do you feel are most important?

A total of 2,715 respondents answered question 11. Respondents also comment on this issue in their responses to other questions and we have included these comments in the following sections.

Overview of responses

The respondents who make supportive comments about the community work undertaken by Anglian Water outnumber those expressing criticism. A small number of respondents

question the decision to engage in community work, which they do not consider to be within the remit of a water company.

Many respondents discuss activities that they would like to be prioritised, such as education and awareness building concerning water usage and environmental protection with a few making direct reference to campaigns launched by Anglian Water. Some specify

mechanisms for community engagement which they believe will help promote better management of water resources. Though some of the comments refer to existing

programmes, most are general in nature, reflecting the course of action respondents would prefer, rather than what is already in place.

Many of those responding to question 11 say they are not aware of any community activities undertaken by Anglian Water. While some of these respondents decline to comment further, a number express views about the value of community work. A few others request that Anglian Water should promote this aspect of their business more effectively.

Priorities for working with communities

Behaviour around water use – often understood to interfere with the supply network, threaten overall resources and impede environmental protection – is a recurrent theme in responses to question 11 and comments on the community across other questions. Customer education about the impact of individual behaviour on the environment and wildlife; community work

focused on nature reserves, watercourses and beaches; and helping to increase the profile of local wildlife are all identified as priorities.

“Educating customers about what they can and can't flush down the drains. To think about their environment for today and the future.”

“I think more could be done to help people see the connection between the water they use, what they tip down the drain (chemicals, detergents, etc.) and whether the otter gets it."

Household customers Some respondents mention vulnerable people in relation to this question, though their

remarks tend to be very general, referring to the WaterCare register and the need to “help” or

“look after” older people or those on low incomes. Concern for the water needs of people suffering from health problems is also raised in a few of these responses.

A number of respondents appear to use “community” in the sense of the Anglian Water region, and suggest that the company ought to continue providing clean drinking water and wastewater services to the community. Although most respondents choose not to elaborate on this point, a few specify that they would prefer Anglian Water to dedicate resources to its core business activities, rather than community projects, seeing “public relations work” and educating customers as good but non-essential in comparison to the core responsibilities of supplying water and wastewater services.

“I thought I was paying for a water supply and soiled water disposal, not social engineering.”

Household customer Opposition to community work is occasionally raised in conjunction with concerns about cost for that work being passed on to customers. Other respondents use question 11 not as a space to comment on community work but rather to comment on the cost of water overall, asking that costs be kept to a minimum.

Engagement

Respondents widely support developing awareness in the community about the water supply system and for education programmes that encourage people to value water resources, as respondents believe these activities will help foster more responsible usage behaviour now and in the future. A few respondents refer to generational differences. For example, some older people refer to growing up without running water and feel people do not value water enough and are careless in using it.

“[…] far too many people take our water for granted. Those are the ones who will feel it the most if it was no longer on tap and had to collect it from a stand pipe! Many of us know what that is like.”

Household customer Education centres and programmes in schools targeting children and young people are especially favoured. Respondents expressing support for school programmes emphasise the importance of children as drivers of behaviour change, trustees of future water resources and the company’s future bill payers. Many of those advocating school activities would also like Anglian Water to incorporate environmental messages within these, as they feel that such an approach will encourage children to consider the wider impacts of water usage on local ecosystems.

“Anything that involves educating the next generation to appreciate and understand the way water is used and managed is great – children’s enthusiasm tends to seep through to their parents and grandparents and get them interested too.”

“Involving children and educating them about the importance of clean water, the need for reducing waste in the homes (e.g., leaving tap on while brushing teeth) and teaching them to love and care for their environment by ’ownership’ of stretches of river banks when they are in senior schools to keep the ethos going.”

“Educating the children; they are the future. My daughter loves finding ways to improve the environment and to reduce wastage. They also remind us that they can be involved with implementing the changes.”

Household customers A few respondents are familiar with some of the work done in schools by Anglian Water, raising questions about whether this is being maximised. For instance, some wonder if

“teacher packs” provided to schools are being downloaded and used. Several say that local schools should be provided with more information about the options available to them to engage with the company on educational initiatives.

A handful of respondents propose visits to Anglian Water works as a way of improving awareness among schoolchildren and the wider community. Others suggest road shows, village meetings, and public events as ways to promote water-saving behaviours. A few respondents mention Anglian Water visits to assess water usage in their home as a potentially useful avenue for awareness activity as well.

Opportunities for engagement with business, industrial and agricultural customers are discussed in a few responses. Besides suggesting that large companies be targeted as part of a business engagement strategy, most of those who comment do not propose specific activities.

“Further work with industrial and agricultural customers to manage their water use efficiently and sustainably; many Waterwise campaigns focus on domestic customers yet the commercial industries use the vast majority of the valuable water we supply.”

Employee of Anglian Water Volunteering and charity work

In keeping with concerns raised about the environment, a number of respondents would like Anglian Water to continue steering voluntary conservation programmes. Volunteer work cleaning litter from rivers and beaches is frequently cited, often with specific reference to the RiverCare and BeachCare schemes. Some respondents suggest there is scope to seize on these programmes as opportunities to develop greater awareness and education about environmental protection among those volunteers participating. A few suggest that these programmes could do more to educate the greater number of people who use rivers.

RiverCare and the Love to Help programmes are identified by a significant number of respondents. In nearly all cases, these comments are positive. RiverCare is seen as becoming increasingly popular, and some suggest that the programme be extended into other areas, such as Buckinghamshire. Some of the Anglian Water employees involved in the company volunteering scheme matching work time to help staff do more volunteering, Love to Help, feel the voluntary work they do is really valued.

“The RiverCare initiative has been a real success in Diss and we have had excellent support from […] Keep Britain Tidy. We now have over 40 members and rising.”

Household customer In praising volunteering schemes established for Anglian Water’s employees, a handful of respondents also refer to the Give Me Five campaign, which preceded Love to Help.

According to a current employee of Anglian Water, the earlier scheme benefited from

superior management and clearer, more “defined” objectives, whereas Love to Help is felt to be underutilised. They recommend that subsequent volunteering projects target communities with clear relevance to the company, such as those which have been impacted by sewer flooding or other problems associated with Anglian Water infrastructure

Most of those commenting on Anglian Water’s involvement with the charity WaterAid are supportive; a few further respondents make a general call for the company to take on activities in developing countries. However, some respondents question whether funds should be spent overseas, owing to concerns about corruption and the need to prioritise UK citizens. A further few express a preference for charity work in the local area, without

specifying whether this might be in addition to at the expense of working with developing countries. Among these comments are a number of specific requests for assistance from a local charity and an amateur football club for young people.

A few respondents comment on voluntary work more generally, mainly with respect to outreach sessions or encouraging volunteering within the community, without providing details on how this might be done.

Recreation areas

Anglian Water’s various recreation areas and water parks are popular with respondents, who appreciate being allowed to use reservoirs for leisure activities.

However, several of those commenting feel that the company’s recreation areas could be managed more effectively. A few respondents believe that conditions have been allowed to deteriorate at some locations. For instance, the sailing facilities at Alton Water Park,

particularly the changing rooms, are criticised in this respect. A few urge Anglian Water to review management policies at the recreation areas, to ensure sites are maintained to the highest standards. One respondent suggests increasing the number of staff working at them, while another proposes that Anglian Water allow other private companies to manage the areas on their behalf.

Respondents also raise the question of parking charges with a few making specific complaints about the cost of parking at Rutland and Grafham. Most of these comments suggest charges discourage people from visiting these venues. Respondents also highlight the potential impact of charges in the wider area as visitors seek alternative free parking in surrounding residential roads.

“Can you please stop charging at the car parks in and around Alton Water? We as locals have to suffer the cars that park close to our drive ways when people refuse to pay to park their cars in your car park. Working with the local community is essential. I appreciate that money has to come from somewhere to keep the costs of the

footpaths and cycle paths in good order but there must be other ways of finding this money rather than upsetting local people who support you on a regular basis.”

Household customer

“Bad point for me is pay car-park. Some people will not visit as would not pay £3 to stay half an hour. Charges should be price per half hour minimum or should be free for the first 45 minutes.”

Employee of Anglian Water Others believe that Anglian Water should do more to encourage greater use of the water parks and nature reserves through further investment in the facilities and enhancement of their amenities. Suggestions include improving access for visitors with disabilities, supplying more signposting on nearby roads, improving conditions for walkers at the nature reserves, and creating more opportunities for kayaking and angling at reservoirs.

“I feel the investment made in water parks such as Brixworth water is an excellent way to support the community also. I would however like to see these areas become self-sufficient with your support (cafes, parking payments, etc).”

“Keeping the reservoirs accessible for tourism and hopefully generate additional income for the company or at least keeping the cost of running the reservoir down.”

Household customers Finally, some of those commenting recognise the potential of recreation areas as a point of contact or opportunity for exchange between Anglian Water and the local community. They argue that more could be done to use these facilities to develop awareness about

environmental issues and responsible water use. Respondents suggest they feature relevant exhibitions, advertising for campaigns such as Love Every Drop, and educational visits.

“It seems to me that opening up reservoirs to the public for sailing and leisure is beneficial as it creates jobs and gives people access to lovely areas of countryside.

There is also the opportunity to educate people while they are there- for example you could show where water levels have been in certain years and also have exhibition boards to give information re water usage. You also have the opportunity to lead by example in things like toilets on site, the type of taps you use etc”

Household customer Campaigns

Several respondents refer to existing campaigns in their responses, with the FOG (fats, oils and grease) campaign being the most widely discussed. The aims of the FOG campaign receive strong support, as many respondents share concerns about the build-up of these residues in the sewage system and the potential negative environmental impacts. A few respondents express alarm at practices in local schools and restaurants in relation to the disposal of fats, oils and grease and urge Anglian Water to direct FOG campaign messages accordingly. Requests are also made for an increase in the reach of the FOG campaign through greater promotional activities and expanding coverage across the region. A few respondents, including employees of Anglian Water, remark that customers stand to benefit from lower bills if the FOG campaign is successful, as fewer resources will need to be dedicated to the maintenance of waste water assets.

“I think that restaurants, and school food classes should be your main target as if all schools had posters in the cookery classrooms reminding students to put their left over FOG in the bin rather than down the sink this would have a huge impact.”

Household customer

The Keep It Clear campaign also receives supportive mentions, alongside more general comments about the incidence of non-flushables in the sewage system, which can incur operational and environmental costs. A few respondents suggest that Anglian Water take steps to encourage or collaborate with product manufacturers to ensure consumers are informed about which items can and cannot be flushed down the toilet.

Several respondents comment on the Love Every Drop strategy, which most consider a

“good” and “effective” campaign. Some respondents suggest that more resources should be dedicated to enhanced promotional activities via radio, television and print advertisement.

Public relations and customer service are also discussed more generally within an appeal for the company to ensure the “fantastic” work being done across the business is properly conveyed to customers.

“As I said before we need stands at local shows. We need to keep making use of the internet, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube etc. Getting into schools. Bill boards are a little old-fashioned these days but people still look at them while driving. Now the cost isn't cheap but what’s to say we could have boards besides the entrances to some of our sites plugging Love Every Drop for example or water quality campaigns; change the poster regularly and it keeps the local people that look at it every day up to date on what we're doing.”

Household customer Employment, tourism and other economic benefits

Several respondents consider local employment to be the most relevant community benefit of Anglian Water as a company. A few of those commenting discuss jobs created at the water parks and nature reserves, while others suggest how Anglian Water might do more to boost employment in future. Youth unemployment is a particular concern, with a couple of respondents suggesting that the company offer apprenticeships. A general recommendation that Anglian Water focus upon “the disadvantaged” appears in a handful of responses.

Some respondents believe that promoting Anglian Water as a career destination for young people will make the company better able to deliver strong services over the medium- and long-term. For example, one household customer feels that the presence of younger employees will help “combat the inverted pyramid age profile” that many utilities feature.

“They are our next customers; make them aware of all the possible careers within the water industry. We need young people to help us deliver our aims for the next 10-15 years.”

Employee of Anglian Water In addition to job creation, respondents believe that Anglian Water can facilitate growth in the local economy through its investments. Among those who comment on this issue, there are general requests that Anglian Water continue “investing in the local area” and sustain

“activities which stimulate economic growth”. However, more common are suggestions that Anglian Water undertake efforts to improve tourism in the region. As is discussed above, a number of respondents believe that recreation areas could be made more appealing to tourists. In addition, several respondents say that by improving the quality of local beaches and watercourses, Anglian Water could help develop the tourism potential of areas within its region.

“Improving coastal water quality to boost tourism also sounds like a great idea!”

Household customer