SES Water has published its annual review of operating and financial performance results covering the first year of its Business Plan for 2020 to 2025, a period dominated by the impact of COVID-19 in maintaining service and support to customers.

Total revenue has decreased £4 million to £65.8 million (2020: £69.8 million). Profit after tax is £3.6 million (2020: £10.7 million). Capital investment in new and replacement plant and equipment totals £26.5 million, down from £35.6 million last year due to periods of lockdown in the year where spending had to be curtailed.

Despite reduced activity during lockdowns, over eight kilometres of aging water mains were replaced in the past year

Performance highlights include:

A continued focus on vulnerable customers means the company is now helping in more ways than ever before, including more than 12,000 customers registered on its Priority Services Register and more than 20,000 people in receipt of the Water Support Scheme which provides a 50% bill discount to those in financial hardship. More than 90% of customers think the additional support in place is helpful

In the past year SES Water has made steady progress up the Customer Experience (C-MeX) industry league table and is the most improved company for the customer satisfaction element

The company has stayed at or below the maximum allowed level of leakage every year since the target was first set over 20 years ago

The bursts target has been met again this year, reflecting the general good health of the network and the work that goes into maintaining it

The Wildlife Trusts’ Biodiversity Benchmark for enhancing and protecting animal and plant life was achieved at Elmer Water Treatment Works - SES Water is now the only water company to hold the award

Focus on the environment continued with no category one or two pollution incidents and a further reduction in greenhouse gas emissions

Chief Executive Officer, Ian Cain, said:

“The last year has been like no other and, as the first year of our 2020 to 2025 Business Plan, it was always going to be a challenging one, even without the pandemic. We’ve worked hard to make progress against some stretching targets in our plan, particularly those associated with providing additional support to customers and staying below the maximum allowed level of leakage.

“However, there are areas where we know we can, and will, do better. Water use has changed significantly in the last year making our target to reduce household water use much more challenging. We also missed our target for water supply interruptions, due to a single large water burst last summer.”

“While we did not meet our target of our C-MeX score being in the top quartile of the industry, we have seen sustained progress with quarter-on-quarter improvements. We also have more to do to improve the service for our developer customers through the D-MeX industry metric.

“Our financial performance has been impacted by the pandemic but, despite this, our long-term financial resilience means we have been able to respond well to the effects of COVID-19 and have continued to invest in the areas that matter most to our customers.

“Above all, the past year has highlighted the unwavering commitment of all our staff and we will continue to rise to the challenges ahead and provide great service for our customers, who we are privileged to serve.”

Chairman, Jeremy Pelczer, said the last year had been challenging and the Board’s objective for the coming year, as we recover from the pandemic, was to maintain the best of what had helped the company deliver its essential service through a difficult period and re-double its focus on those areas which had been most impacted.

Click here to download SES Water Annual Report 2020