News

Early payments arranged for Severn Trent’s smaller suppliers to help support them through coronavirus crisis

23 April 2020

Midlands water and waste company Severn Trent has arranged for £38m to be paid to its smaller suppliers early to help support them through the COVID-19 crisis.

The company has arranged for immediate payment to be made to small- and medium-sized companies for at least the next three months to help them through the current difficult economic conditions.
Helen Miles, Chief Commercial Officer at Severn Trent, said: “We know how hard it is for the smaller companies we work with at the moment which is why we wanted to do what we could to help them.
“We’ve got more payments lined up and we’re carrying on placing orders because we’re still working hard to make sure our four million customers, hospitals and care homes have the water services they need in this difficult time.
“It’s really important to us we do the right thing for our colleagues, our customers and our communities, and this is just one of a number of commitments we’ve made to achieve that.”
As well as paying its suppliers early, Severn Trent has created a £1m emergency fund for charities and local groups helping its communities through the crisis, having already paid out half of that to almost 200 organisations.
It has also committed to not furloughing or laying off any Severn Trent colleagues as a result of COVID-19.
Severn Trent is also offering customers support through its Big Difference Scheme, WaterSure, and the Severn Trent Trust Fund, with £3.5m available through the Trust Fund alone. You can find out more details of the support available here.