Crowning glory for country's top utility company

21/04/2009

Northumbrian Water, of which Essex & Suffolk Water is a part, has been honoured with a Queen’s Award for Enterprise announced by Her Majesty today. (21 April)

The accolade has been conferred in the rare Sustainable Development category.

This is the crowning glory of a triumphant twelve months for the company which supplies water services to 1.8 million customers in Essex and Suffolk and water and wastewater services to 2.6 million customers across the North East.

It is already the reigning Utility Company of the Year 2008 and the national leader for all utilities in the Business in the Community Corporate Responsibility Index - the UK’s leading benchmark of responsible business practice.

Northumbrian Water has also achieved a Platinum rating and ‘Impact on Society Big Tick’ for work done in the marketplace, workplace, environment and community.

Managing Director John Cuthbert said:  “The Queen's Award seals a truly monumental year of recognition for Northumbrian Water and its 3,000 employees. Everyone across the business will be proud, not only of gaining this prestigious award but also that the company will be able to fly its famous emblem.

“We also believe the Award recognises the importance of the special relationships we have with a wide and diverse range of partners. The Queen’s Award is the crowning recognition for many years of consistent, long-term and high performance work and we are extremely proud of our success.”

The following table of total awards issued demonstrates how exclusive the Queen’s Awards are and, in particular, how special the sustainable development category is:

The Queen’s Award Northumbrian Water citation reads:

"Northumbrian Water Ltd receives the Award for its ongoing and impressive commitment to sustainability.

“It has actively striven to promote best practice within its sector and is committed to ongoing review and continuous improvement.

“With a commendable and ever improving environmental performance in place, it is, however, Northumbrian's extremely impressive social and economic initiatives which elevate it to the status of sector leaders.

 “A diverse suite of programmes have been implemented, encompassing local procurement, strong apprenticeship programmes, individual up skilling and the continuous leverage of their spending power, employment and wider economic presence to ensure maximum benefit for local communities.

“Northumbrian's driving commitment to sustainability governance provides an example and benchmark across sectors, demonstrating that strong leadership and ambition can  make a tangible difference to communities both local and more widely."

For further information contact Alistair Baker, Communications and PR Manager, on 07711-793-493.