South East Water has been announced as the first water company to receive accreditation from the Living Wage Foundation for paying its employees the Living Wage.
The Living Wage commitment will see everyone, regardless of whether they are permanent employees or third-party contractors and suppliers; receive a minimum hourly wage of £7.85 -significantly higher than the national minimum wage of £6.50.
The Living Wage is an hourly rate set independently and updated annually. The Living Wage is calculated according to the basic cost of living using the ‘Minimum Income Standard’ for the UK. Decisions about what to include in this standard are set by the public; it is a social consensus about what people need to make ends meet.
Paul Butler, Managing Director at South East Water, said:
“Ensuring everyone who works for South East Water is paid fairly for what they do is something we care passionately about, whether that be our own employees or a third-party contractor.
“Supplying top quality drinking water every day needs an excellent team behind it and by working in partnership with contractors and suppliers who demonstrate they care about their workforce, by paying a Living Wage, we see a commitment to quality and fairness that reflects in their work too.”
Employers choose to pay the Living Wage on a voluntary basis. The Living Wage enjoys cross party support, with public backing from the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition.
Living Wage Foundation Director, Rhys Moore said: “We are delighted that South East Water has accredited as a Living Wage employer, guaranteeing all their directly employed staff as well as their contracted teams, earn at least the Living Wage.
“South East Water is the first water company to sign up to the voluntary Living Wage movement, joining SSE within the utilities sector. We hope that the leadership shown by South East Water will encourage others in their industry to find out more about both the business and people benefits that becoming a Living Wage employer can bring to an organisation."
With the UK government demanding a 50% reduction in storm overflow spills by 2029, the era of reactive management is over. Speaking in the House of Commons on 21 July 2025, then environment secretary Steve Reed said, “This Government will cut water companies’ sewage pollution in half by the end of the decade.”
ERG, the leading supplier of odour control systems and industrial gas cleaning & thermal systems, has been awarded the coveted King’s Award for Enterprise.
Welsh Water’s new artificial intelligence-driven tool, ORAI, has been shortlisted for three categories at the prestigious British Data Awards 2026 – underscoring the company’s commitment to using cutting-edge technology to deliver better outcome for customers.
Barhale has completed work on two separate Rapid Action Taskforce Spills projects it is carrying out for Severn Trent.
Hear how Scottish Water has completed its £235 million Ayrshire Glasgow Resilience Project - customers across Greater Glasgow, Ayrshire and East Renfrewshire will now benefit from a more secure and resilient water supply.
Hear how United Utilities is accelerating its investment to reduce spills from storm overflows across the Northwest.
Find out more about the remarkable career opportunities on offer at WSP - scroll down to watch the inspirational video.