WWT ROUND TABLE 2009
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these other things that can help from a money being spent, particularly for the
“Even when we did get
regulatory perspective. Some other countries environment, but we couldn’t get anything
have done a certain amount of that, and out of you at all.
some information, we
that is probably something that could be It is therefore interesting to hear these
looked into here. It is interesting to see that things but I have to say that it has not discovered that quite a
a great deal of progress is being made, filtered through to different levels. Even
although there is still some way to go. when we did get some information and we
bit of it was inaccurate”
tried to validate it, we were unable to do so
Bob Baty Are there any final contributions and we discovered that quite a bit of it was This picks up the point that Stephen raised
before I do a quick summary? inaccurate. If anyone has a question, they – which is much wider than the water
can contact my office, particularly about the coming out of the tap – that is the difficulty
Rob Ashley Could I just make one request stuff I was given, but we have a 23 July date we have as an industry and it is one we
of you? People have talked about the work when figures will be out, and we would need to address firmly; paying the water
that they have done with their customers to once again like to do the same thing. We charge per se is so much greater than
make them aware. Two or three months would like to put it into a context for each paying for the trickle that people get out of
ago, Ofwat promoted the last price rise and individual company. their taps. That is the real message we need
we tried to give a coherent message where to convey.
we gave as much coverage to the industry Bob Baty There must be opportunities. When I first joined the water industry in
as we could, so that people understood Perhaps it is because of the PR09 the 1960s, I remember to this day the two
why these things were happening, and the submissions, which people are focused on. issues that were being discussed then:
cost. We found that trying to extract metering, and leakage. I have now retired
information from your various companies, Rob Ashley I know, but it is an interesting from the industry and those issues are still
about the great things you have achieved illustration that the stuff that you have been there. This just endorses the point that
over the last 20 years with £80 billion of talking about is not filtering through to your Martin raised, which is that we need to have
investment was incredibly difficult. grassroots. these deadline dates for getting from one
Not one company came up with a single, position to another and for making them
useful piece of information which we could John Cuthbert When you send out happen, because the one thing that is not
say, after 20 years of investment, lots of information requests, could you copy in waiting is the impact on the environment.
which was environmental. In the end, I think MDs and chief execs as well? That will continue in the direction it is going
we were told that there were trout in the in and, unless we take control and manage
Thames. We had given seven or eight Bob Baty That is critical to the subject we it, it will not end up where any of us would
weeks’ notice and we had chased on a have been discussing this morning in terms want it to be – whether that is from a water
number of occasions to get each company of sustainability. Customers need to be industry perspective, or indeed from that of
to provide examples of the good stuff that aware of the benefits that have been society, and particularly the customers we
was happening as a consequence of their generated by the money they are spending. are responsible for serving.
This has been a very interesting
discussion this morning. The difficult part is
getting the view of sustainability, and of a
sustainable water supply in the whole, in
focus. We have talked in some detail about
the mechanisms for doing that and
metering seems to be recognised as a key
plant in that. It is also significantly more than
that, however, and it is a matter of getting
this linkage back. It is very opportune that
Rob finished on that particular point about
getting the message to customers about
what benefits they are getting for the
investment we make – and much of that is
about sustaining the environment.
Thank you all very much indeed for your
contributions. I hope you have found this
interesting and enjoyable, as I certainly have.
I am very grateful to you all for having had
my mind refreshed on issues that I lived
with, and which I still find very inspiring and
thought provoking. Thank you very much
indeed for your time and contributions.
A podcast of this debate is downloadable from
Rob Ashley: Trying to get information from your companies was incredibly difficult www.web4water.com
22 Round Table June 2009