Excellent 5* RatingSaffron Walden Town Council Gains Control of Water Bills & Cuts Costs
Client – Saffron Walden Town Council
Industry – Local Government
Service Provided – Business Water & Wastewater Account Consolidation & Billing Restructure
The Challenge
Saffron Walden Town Council was unhappy with their existing setup, where water and wastewater services were split across multiple providers. This led to inconsistent billing practices, with some services charged in advance — making it difficult to manage budgets and forecast accurately. Like many councils, they also faced the challenge of managing a wide range of supply points, some metered and some not, covering public fountains, allotments, standpipes, and council buildings.
"Managing multiple water and wastewater accounts across so many sites had become difficult and time-consuming. The team helped us consolidate everything, move to billing in arrears, and streamline contract management. It’s been a major improvement in how we manage our services."Facilities Representative, Saffron Walden Town Council
£10,000+
Total Contract Saving
14 Meters
Consolidated Into One Contract
36 Month
Contract
Saffron Walden Town Council: 14 water meters onto one contract
Saffron Walden was running water and wastewater across 14 sites with bills coming from different retailers, on different dates, with some charged in advance. We brought everything onto one 36-month contract. Across the term the council expects to save over £10,000.
What the council was dealing with
Saffron Walden Town Council looks after water across a varied set of sites: public fountains, allotments, standpipes and council buildings. Some are metered. Some sit on rateable value billing.
Over the years the council had inherited contracts with several different retailers. Bills arrived on different cycles, a portion of services were charged in advance rather than in arrears, and contracts ended on different dates. Nothing about any one bill was wrong, but pulling the whole picture together meant cross-checking statements from multiple suppliers against budget periods that didn’t quite line up.
The team came to us wanting something simpler. One contract for everything, one renewal date, and bills that arrived in the same period as the water was used.
Managing multiple water and wastewater accounts across so many sites had become difficult and time-consuming. The team helped us consolidate everything, move to billing in arrears, and streamline contract management. It’s been a major improvement in how we manage our services.
Facilities RepresentativeSaffron Walden Town Council
What we did
Moved everything onto arrears billing
The supplies that were still being charged in advance got switched. Bills now arrive after the water has been used, in the same budget period it was used in.
Brought all 14 supplies onto one retailer
Water and wastewater, metered and unmetered, went onto a single account with one supplier. One portal, one set of invoices, one contact when something needs querying.
Aligned the contract end dates
Every supply now finishes at the same point in the 36 months. The next time the council wants to test the market, it’s one project rather than 14 small ones spread across the calendar.
What changed
Over £10,000 forecast saving across the term
Re-tendering the combined volume produced better unit rates than the council had been getting on the previous setup. The 36-month forecast saving comes in at over £10,000.
One supplier instead of several
Every water and wastewater supply on the council estate now sits with the same retailer. If something needs sorting, there’s one number to call.
Easier to budget and forecast
One renewal date, one set of bills, one supplier relationship. Reading off the council’s annual water spend is a one-line exercise rather than a quarterly hunt.
Common questions
How long does a consolidation like this take?
Did the council’s water supply get disrupted at any point?
Can metered and unmetered sites really be on the same contract?
Why did moving from advance to arrears billing matter?
Could a similar approach work for our sites?
Want to know if your setup could be consolidated like this?
We’ll look at the bills you’ve got, work out where there’s saving to be had, and tell you what a single contract would actually look like for your sites. No commitment to do anything afterwards.
