Cambridge Water is seeking views from customers to assist the formulation of its next five-year business plan in a project entitled ‘Your CH2Oice’.
The research collected will be used by the water company to help determine its business plan for the period 2015-2020.
Steve Morley, regulation director and head of compliance, said:
“Cambridge Water is responsible for supplying 320,000 people with a high quality water supply each and every day.
“To make sure this happens, it is vital we make the right business decisions. For example, is there enough water to go around? How much should we invest in infrastructure? Is the amount we charge for water too much, or not enough?
”Perhaps most importantly, we also need to know if our customers, regulators and business owners are happy with the service we provide.
“To help us make these decisions we have launched the Your CH2Oice campaign. Over the next few months we will be speaking to customers and asking them to join focus groups or complete questionnaires about the service we currently provide and what we can do better in the future.”
The final plan, which has to be signed off by the regulator Ofwat, will outline which future investments are required to ensure the company meets its statutory obligations and customer service expectations. This will then form the basis for the amount it charges for water.
Cambridge Water has set up an independent Local Water forum to scrutinise the proposals in the business plan.
The forum is being chaired by Dame Yve Buckland, the national chair of the Consumer Council for Water. Also on the panel are representatives from the water company’s other regulators – the Environment Agency and the Drinking Water Inspectorate.
The remainder of the panel is made up of local stakeholders - including the Citizens’ Advice Bureau, COPE, the Wilbraham River Preservation Society and Countryside Properties, with representatives from local councils, scientific research and educational sectors. The group has two local deputy chairmen, John Bridge of the Chamber of Commerce and Stephen Woolverton of the Babraham Institute.