ScottishPower has today signed up to the C-19 Business Pledge, highlighting its commitment and efforts to help customers, colleagues and communities through the COVID-19 crisis and into the recovery phase.
The Pledge – founded by former UK Cabinet Minister, Rt Hon. Justine Greening and UK entrepreneur David Harrison – encourages employers to pledge to help employees, customers and communities across Britain get through the crisis.
Crucially, businesses are asked to focus on how they will tackle the challenges of recovery as well as the challenges of keeping going through coronavirus.
ScottishPower Chief Executive, Keith Anderson, signed the company’s networks, retail and renewables businesses up to the Pledge, saying he is proud to highlight the company’s support for its people, customers and communities.
He added: “Since coronavirus became part of our daily lives, we’ve been working hard at ScottishPower to ensure our efforts provide the right support – not just to see us all through the crisis, but to help get the country back on its feet as well.
“More than ever, we know the difference our help makes and the C-19 Business Pledge is a great platform to showcase all we are doing across all our businesses for our customers, our colleagues and our communities.
“Our message is clear – we are here for you – whether that’s supporting you to work in a different way, keeping the energy flowing to your homes and businesses, generating the clean energy we all want, helping you manage your finances during these difficult times, or supporting the most vulnerable in our communities.
“By continuing to work together, we can achieve a better future, quicker which will make a real difference and benefit all of us in the longer term.”
ScottishPower’s efforts to support customers, colleagues and communities through the COVID-19 pandemic have included:
Customers
· SP Energy Networks working round the clock to keep the power flowing to 3.5 million households across the UK, ensuring people can continue to work and stay connected to family and friends as well as going the extra mile to protect power supplies to critical facilities like hospitals, health and social care facilities and essential shops.
· Our ScottishPower retail business providing residential and small business customers with the flexibility to adjust their direct debit payments to as little as £5 per fuel per month or take a payment holiday of up to two months if they are struggling financially.
· ScottishPower retail issuing pre-loaded payment keys/cards with available credit or remotely adding credit to meters for prepayment customers unable to top up their meter due to illness, self-isolation, or financial difficulties.
Colleagues
- Introducing an employee volunteer scheme that allows staff to get involved in local and national initiatives both during and outside normal working hours. This has resulted in employees getting involved in the likes of sewing PPE and scrubs for frontline NHS staff across the country and apprentices volunteering with charities providing vital food delivery services.
- Promoting and supporting positive mental and physical health for employees.
- Keeping employees informed and supporting them to work well at home and ensuring those performing critical roles are supported to work in line with government guidelines.
Communities
- Supporting partner organisations – thanks to almost £2 million previously awarded from SP Energy Networks’ Green Economy Fund. This has helped provide the resources and capabilities for partner organisations to respond, enhance and extend their vital services during the COVID crisis. The monies, invested in new electric vehicles and improved infrastructure, are now helping provide patient transport, free transport and bike hire for key NHS workers, as well as essential food supplies to vulnerable people and rural communities.
- Providing funding of more than £50,000 from our networks business for partner organisations who provide additional support services for vulnerable customers on our Priority Services Register. This has helped them deliver key services such as essential food and medicine deliveries.
- Donating PPE from ScottishPower Renewables’ offshore wind team to a local NHS hospital in East Anglia.
Over and above this, ScottishPower advocates the importance of a green recovery being at the heart of the country’s economic recovery, providing a driving force that will help us all move closer to net zero.
The C-19 Business Pledge has now received the backing of employers representing more than three million people, staff and students throughout businesses and universities.
As well as ScottishPower, these include BP, Barratt Developments, Everton Football Club, Compass Group, Coca Cola, Persimmon Homes and Severn Trent Water. It has also received the backing of more than 60 Members of Parliament, across all major political parties.
Justine Greening said: “With the future of many employers hanging in the balance and incredibly tough times unfolding in sectors across the UK, businesses face many incredibly difficult decisions. But those organisations – who are able to – can have a huge role in battling the impact of coronavirus and make a real difference in these uniquely challenging times.
“In spite of everything, lots of employers have already shown amazing initiative and commitment to helping people affected by coronavirus. The C-19 Business Pledge is all about encouraging as many businesses and universities as possible to get involved and then helping them do that faster and better by sharing all the great work that’s already been done.
“The early response from businesses across the UK has been incredible and it is great to see ScottishPower making this commitment too.”
For more information on what ScottishPower is doing to support people and businesses during the coronavirus pandemic, visit https://www.scottishpower.com.
For more on the C-19 Business Pledge visit www.c19businesspledge.org.
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