Malaysian-owned Wessex Water supplies 2.9 million water and sewerage customers in south-west England, including Bristol, Bath and Bournemouth. It revealed in its report that it expected to fall foul of the bonus ban \u201cparticularly in relation to environmental and operational metrics\u201d.<\/p>\n
Jefferson\u2019s full pay packet for the year reached \u00a3791,000 once pension and unspecified other benefits were included. She had received \u00a3440,000 the previous year for six months while serving as chief compliance officer and then chief executive.<\/p>\n
Another water company, Anglian Water, awarded its chief executive, Mark Thurston, a \u00a3500,000 \u201cretention payment\u201d, despite being banned from paying bonuses.<\/p>\n
The payment to the former HS2 railway boss<\/a> was made by Anglian\u2019s parent company, which claimed that it was allowed to do so because the bonus was not linked to performance.<\/p>\n Anglian said the payment did not replace bonuses and was made to Thurston in July 2025 from funds that would otherwise have been paid to shareholders \u201cto ensure his retention until January 2027\u201d.<\/p>\n The annual report said it had a \u201clong-held, steadfast view that banning bonuses is not helpful\u201d and it would be \u201cmore effective to focus on rewarding improvement\u201d.<\/p>\n An Anglian Water spokesperson said it paid \u201ctargeted, time-limited retention arrangements to maintain leadership continuity\u201d, but that they \u201cdo not replace bonuses and are not paid for by Anglian Water Services or customers.\u201d The company said shareholders pay.<\/p>\n Gary Carter, a national officer at the GMB union, said: \u201cThe government has tried to stop water company bosses giving themselves hefty bonuses, but they keep finding ways to sneak past the legislation and fill their pockets.<\/p>\n \u201cWater chief executives haven\u2019t learned the public is sick of obscene pay and company failure \u2013 and as long as they can feather their own nests, they will. The onus must be on ministers and the regulator to find a way to stop them.\u201d<\/p>\n Wessex said no payments were made in the most recent year to executive directors from any other group companies, after the Guardian in January revealed \u00a351,000 in previously undisclosed payments<\/a> to Jefferson and Andy Pymer, the chief financial officer. The Guardian\u2019s reporting was raised by MPs<\/a> in parliament<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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