Southern Water Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022–23
Our long-term priorities
Understanding and supporting our customers and communities
Ensuring a supply of high-quality water for the future
Protecting and improving the environment
Enabling and empowering our people
Our strategy
These priorities guide our short and long-term plans and provide a framework for us to deliver essential water services to 2.7 million customers and wastewater services to more than 4.7 million customers across Kent, Sussex, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
Key stakeholders
There are five key stakeholder groups for which we create long-term value. It is essential we understand what matters most to them:
Customers and communities
The environment
Our people and partners
Regulators
Investors
Always improving, for the
benefit of our customers,
the environment and
our communities.
We are committed to making sure our customers have access to high-quality, affordable and efficient water and wastewater services while we protect and enhance our communities and the environment.
Our reports this year
Becoming a more responsible and sustainable business is our priority. That is why this year we have used our long-term priorities to frame how we are improving our performance over time. By integrating our commentary in this way, we can better demonstrate how our customers and the environment sit at the heart of everything we do.
You can also read our Annual Performance Report for more detail about our current delivery strategy and targets:
southernwater.co.uk/our-performance/reports/annual-reporting.
Our priorities can only be
achieved with the support of
our people and communities
Our purpose, vision, values and strategy
Our purpose is the reason we exist. Our vision informs our long-term priorities and sets our ambition.
Our five-year delivery strategy and focused Turnaround Plan are guided by this long-term vision. Our core values then provide the foundation and ethical decision-making framework by which we operate.
Vision
To create a resilient water future for our customers in the South East.
Our purpose is to provide water for life to
enhance health and wellbeing
protect and improve the environment
sustain the economy
Long-term priorities
Understanding and supporting our customers and communities
Ensuring a supply of high-quality water for the future
Protecting and improving the environment
Enabling and empowering our people
Five-year delivery strategy
Deliver great service.
Use water wisely.
Protect and improve the environment.
Fit for the future.
Turnaround Plan
Aims to deliver a short, sharp ambitious improvement by 2025, particularly in terms of our environmental performance. It includes four clear outcomes that we’re promising to deliver, improving our service to customers and the environment.
Where we'll be by 2025
3rd quartile performance against our peers
Improved water quality that shows our commitment to excellence.
3 star performance awarded by the Environment Agency
Environmental Performance Assessment rating that clearly shows our commitment to healthy rivers and seas.
7.5/10
Our commitment to improve our customer experience for all our consumers.
0.2
Lost-time injury rate which highlights our commitment to health and safety excellence.
Underpinned by our values
Our vision, purpose and values, alongside our ethical decision making and modern compliance frameworks, help our leadership team, employees and partners make better decisions every day.
Our operational highlights
We are making progress
Our performance is measured through the value we generate for our stakeholders.
Customers and communities
The environment
Our people and partners
Regulators
Investors
Financial highlights
Statements
Chair's statement
Keith Lough
Chair
Highlights
- The continued transformation of Southern Water is delivering progress.
- Our focused two-year Turnaround Plan prioritises areas for performance improvement.
- The role of our investors in enabling the acceleration of our activities continues to be crucial
- The way we have learnt from five major incidents will help us serve our customers and communities better in the future.
- We have continued to listen to all our stakeholders during a period of intense public scrutiny.
- Water scarcity as a result of population growth and climate change is a reality in the South East, so resilience and protecting the environment are central to our plans
- We fully expect to receive a two-star rating for the Environment Agency’s annual Environmental Performance Assessment.
Chief Executive's summary
Lawrence Gosden
Chief Executive Officer
Highlights
- Against the backdrop of increased public scrutiny, we are making solid progress and have completed 98% of the actions in the undertakings agreed with Ofwat in 2019.
- Our new two-year Turnaround Plan is focused on delivering performance improvements in water quality, environmental performance and customer satisfaction.
- These plans will also deliver a new Health and Safety Transformation Programme.
- A new fourth value, Working with Care, reinforces our cultural transformation.
- Our refreshed leadership team better reflects our turnaround agenda.
- We fully expect to receive a two-star rating for our Environmental Performance Assessment from the Environment Agency.
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Our external environment
Our business
model
Our approach to climate change
