Prepare for the future with Dŵr Cymru

Providing customers with reliable water and waste services is a priority for Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water. But expanding our network to support economic development is also an important part of our role.

Welsh Water’s Developer Services team help customers to connect to the network, offering 15 different services which support them through every step of their development.


Connecting with You

In June 2014, we held our first dedicated Housing Association Forum. The prime objective was to receive feedback from customers, which will allow us to improve our services.

Attendees told us that the forum provided an excellent opportunity to engage openly with Welsh Water and said they would like to see further links between Welsh Water and the RSL sector. With support from CHC, we plan to hold additional workshops in the coming months.


Preparing for the Future

We’ve all had challenges to face over the last few years, including the introduction of new legislation, such as mandatory build standards. We need to continue to engage with our customers so that we can meet future challenges together.

Over the next six years, the population of Wales may grow by around 100,000. Preparation is key to being ready to support this growth. Welsh Water plans to increase network capacity to enable us to continue to support development. And we want to engage with you now to ensure that we can continue to support your future projects.

If you have an upcoming project you would like to discuss with us or need advice on your development, call 0800 917 2652 or email developer.services@dwrcymru.com. 

Ian Wyatt, Head of Developer Services
Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water

A day in the life of Moneyline Cymru

I’m afraid I am going to start with the C word. It is October, Christmas is fast approaching and Moneyline customers are getting ready for it. Quarterly savings account statements have just been sent out, so the Moneyline office is seeing a stream of customers coming in to withdraw their savings with most looking forward to starting their Christmas shopping.

People are also coming in to ask about how to get a loan. A loan is only approved after checking a customer’s identification and income & expenditure to see if a loan is affordable. It then takes 3-4 days for the money to reach their bank account. However, Moneyline doesn’t just offer loans and savings. When looking at an application, the loan officers also assess whether a Money Adviser could help. For example, they can see if benefits are not being paid that a customer may be entitled to, if they would be eligible for utility discount schemes or if they are making payments to creditors and have debts. For these and many other reasons, customers are referred to the in house Your Benefits Are Changing Money Adviser for free and independent money advice. This helps customers in so many ways.

One customer rang today to say thank you because a loan officer  spotted that she would be eligible for a discount on her water bill and that she wasn’t receiving Tax Credits. After talking to the Money Adviser it was confirmed that she was eligible and she was helped to apply.  She is now £60 per week better off by claiming Tax Credits, is saving on her water bills through Welsh Water Assist and will receive £135 via the Warm Home Discount in the New Year. This has made a massive difference to her and, through coming in for a loan, she has actually found herself financially better off.

Moneyline Cwmbran has been nominated for a ‘Torfaen’s Most Recommended’ award and customers are completing voting forms with lovely comments such as ‘friendly staff'; ‘non judgemental'; ‘love that you can get money advice as well’; ‘ you really help people’.

Our office is in the middle of the town centre, so customers can easily pop in to ask questions or just say hello, and this certainly adds to the good relationships we have with customers. Today one customer popped in to introduce us to her new baby – cue oohing and ahhing all round in an office of mums.

As the Money Adviser, my day today has included appointments for debt advice, a telephone enquiry for a benefit check, processing applications for Welsh Water Assist and Customer Assistance Fund, an application for Discretionary Housing Payment  for someone affected by the 'bedroom tax', talking to customers about Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment, and searching for grants (it’s amazing how excited I got at seeing ‘army pension’ on an income sheet at the thought of the grant options I could look into for this particular client). And, on a personal level, thinking about how unprepared I am for the C word compared to our customers.

Your Benefits Are Changing is a Community Housing Cymru project and is funded by the Big Lottery.

Kath Hopkins

Money Adviser