Yorkshire Water needs to build bridges with the communities that it serves
Yorkshire Water needs to understand the scale of the anger amongst its customers when it comes to executive pay. Especially the recent opaque payments that its CEO Nicola Shaw received, totalling £1.3m.
Ms Shaw received two of £660,000 from Yorkshire Water’s parent company Kelda Holdings for both the 2023/24 and 2024/25 financial years.
The company’s promise to commit to more transparency over payments is a welcome step but people will still likely be sceptical about this pledge.
The reality is that the whole water industry is plagued by complex offshore structures that not only make transparency difficult but also contribute to the issues that have left the sector on the brink of crisis.
Yorkshire Water’s executive payments against the backdrop of increased pollution is indicative of the disconnect the company suffers from with the communities that it serves. It would be better served seeking to repair the bridges that have been set ablaze by the company’s various failings that have left people with sewage in their waterways.
MPs in Bradford are not happy with the company’s move from Bradford, where it is currently located, to Leeds.
As a business, Yorkshire Water has to be as efficient as possible. The company says it is looking to centralise its support functions into a single modern building “to enable our colleagues to deliver the services our customers expect”.
But the lack of engagement with local leaders is concerning, given it is a key employer in Bradford.
In January, this newspaper called for Yorkshire Water to become an exemplar to others in the industry and deliver much needed, rapid improvements. That applies not just to the service but the relationship it has with customers and the wider communities that it serves.