utility sector awards

The Consumer Council for Water (CCWater) has been shortlisted for two awards at this year’s Utilities & Telecoms (U&T) Awards.

The water watchdog has been nominated for the Best Vulnerable Customer Support Team Award, with Senior Policy Manager Andy White receiving an additional nomination in the Team Leader category. The U&T Awards, run by Credit Strategy, are now in their seventh year. They recognise and celebrate the hard work and achievements of organisations and individuals that have made a significant contribution within the energy, water and telecoms sectors over the past 12 months.

CCWater’s nomination comes as a result of its Social Policy Team delivering a number of successful outcomes for water customers. These have included working closely with water companies to develop and implement financial help and support for customers struggling to afford their bills. Their efforts have helped to ensure all 21 companies in England and Wales now offer a social tariff scheme, which can reduce the bills of low-income customers by as much as 90 per cent. Uptake of these schemes has almost doubled in the past year, with CCWater spearheading efforts to promote them.

Tony Smith, CCWater’s Chief Executive, said:

Andy and his team have been instrumental in helping many water companies improve their support for some of their most vulnerable customers.

We’re delighted their efforts have been recognised, although they would be the first to admit there is still much more to be done across the industry. Andy kept his team motivated and empowered which can be seen clearly through the excellent results they have delivered for water customers.

CCWater has also established effective partnerships with external organisations such as poverty relief charity Turn2us. This led to the watchdog launching an online Benefits Calculator which has enabled more than 3,800 people to identify potential additional annual welfare benefits totalling over £6.25 million. A further 1,000 consumers have used its Grants Search Tool to search for financial assistance from a £330 million pot of charitable funding.

Andy White, who heads up CCWater’s Social Policy Team, has been individually recognised for his efforts in leading his team to achieve excellent results, while simultaneously overseeing major organisational changes which led to most of his team becoming home-based workers.

U&T Awards will celebrate, recognise and honour the hard work and best practice in one of the biggest gatherings of utilities and telecoms collections professionals, drawn from across the energy, water and telecoms sectors.

The winners of the U&T Awards will be announced on 5 October at The Nottingham Belfry, Nottingham.

For full details of the awards and all the nominees visit Credit Strategy’s website opens in new window