Latest news with #Anglian
The Independent
03-03-2025
- Business
- The Independent
The best window installers and how to choose between them
If it's time for a new set of windows for your home, we're here to answer all your questions on double glazing work and guide you through the best window installers in the UK. When it comes to replacing or upgrading your windows with double glazing, you have a choice of local and national operators. Make sure to gather a number of quotes to get the best price. Coral Windows was established in 1990 by managing director John Valente, and as such it's one of the longest continually operating firms on our list. The family-run company covers the Yorkshire region and has its own security technology called SmartFrame, which detects intrusions. Coral is notable for not taking a deposit on work. Founder John says: 'Whether we do a £4k window job or £50k conservatory or extension, we do not take one penny of deposit. The customer sees the product before they part with a penny. We are family run, and have survived several recessions and covid.' Britelite Windows Another long-established firm, Britelite has more than 50 years of experience fitting windows, doors and conservatories. It covers the south-east of England. It has Which? Trusted trader status as the company says Chairman Dominic Baxter regularly reads customer reviews in order to keep service levels high. First Home Improvements has some of the broadest coverage of England and roots going back to the 1970s, although the company's current iteration was founded in 2008 through a management buyout of the previous owners. The company offers a generous 12 year guarantee. Clearview Windows Trustpilot rating: 4.4 Area covered: The northwest of England including N. Wales, West Derbyshire, South Lakes Founded: 2008 Guarantee: 20 years on products (roofs and PVC frames doors & glass), 10 years on aluminium and building work Best for: Best guarantee and plenty of awards North West-focused Clearview has a decent Trustpilot rating and a generous 20 year guarantee on many of its products. The firm is proud to have won the Glass & Glazing Federation Installer of the year award for 3 consecutive years. The first national company on our list and the longest-running, Anglian was founded in 1966. It's changed hands several times since then and is now owned by a private equity firm, Alchemy Partners. The company covers all of Britain and offers blinds and conservatories as well as windows, doors and porches. Anglian offers to match uPVC window prices. Famous in North West England for its quirky TV adverts fronted by medieval garb-clad Jeff Brown, who offered regular buy-one-get-one-free deals to customers, and later ones featuring former England goalie David Seaman, Safestyle collapsed into administration in 2023, blaming high costs and weak demand. It was bought by rival Anglian, but the collapse left some customers with worthless guarantees. Under its new ownership it offers very similar services to Anglian, with a 10 year guarantee and broad coverage of the UK. Everest is one of the more famous names on our list, thanks to a couple of TV campaigns in the 1980s and 2000s showcasing its windows at the Tan Hill Inn, the highest pub in Britain. But the company has had a recent troubled history, going into administration in 2020 in the wake of Covid lockdowns and then again in 2024. It is now owned by Anglian. Its financial troubles left some customers unable to cancel orders and with worthless warranties, although purchases made just before the collapse were fulfilled by its new owners.
The Guardian
18-02-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Anglian Water appeals against ‘unacceptable' curb on bill increases
Anglian Water has asked the UK's competition watchdog to allow it to hike bills over the next five years even more than it has so far been allowed to, as it called a ruling by the water regulator 'unacceptable'. The water company, which serves 4.3 million customers across the east of England and Hartlepool, has appealed to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to back its original business proposal to raise bills by 32% from £491 to £649 between 2025 and 2030. Anglian hopes to overturn a decision by the water regulator for England and Wales, Ofwat, which shot down that proposal in December and said it should only be allowed to raise customer bills by 29% to £631 over that period. Ofwat's ruling would allow Anglian to spend £11bn over the next five years – £4bn more than over the last five years – on projects including on two new reservoirs in Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire. But the firm, which is counted as one of the performance laggards by Ofwat, has hit out at that decision, claiming it heaped additional pressures on the business as it tries to invest in its water and sewerage infrastructure. 'In the east of England, with four of the fastest growing cities in the UK, as well as the Cambridge-Oxford arc, the levels of investment needed are significant,' the Anglian chief executive, Mark Thurston, said. 'Ofwat's stated aims for this settlement were to align the interests of companies and investors to those of customers, by setting the appropriate balance of risk and return,' he added. 'Unfortunately, after extremely careful consideration, the Anglian Water board has concluded that Ofwat's final determination falls short of its own stated aims, and having already factored in nearly £1bn of efficiency savings, it means that additional pressures in the regulatory settlement are unacceptable,' Thurston said. Anglian's appeal to the CMA comes just days after troubledThames Water lodged its own complaint with the competition regulator last week. Thames Water, which is on the verge of financial collapse, had wanted to raise bills by 59% over the next five years, arguing that it needed the extra funding to invest and improve its services. Ofwat had approved a 35% hike. Neither of the attempts to appeal will affect bills for the financial year starting in April, and Anglia said it would not delay its investment plans for year-one of its business plan. Sign up to Business Today Get set for the working day – we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning after newsletter promotion Thurston said: 'We do not take this decision lightly and having given serious consideration to our customers and to all of our other stakeholders we have concluded we must make use of the next step in the regulatory process and ask the CMA to reconsider whether the right balance has been struck.' Thurston, who was the boss of the HS2 rail link until 2023 and an executive for the 2012 Olympic Games in London, was appointed to lead Anglian last year. Thurston made headlines at the high speed rail project for being the highest paid civil servant, earning £644,999r. The CMA is under pressure to deliver on the Labour government's 'pro-growth' agenda. Its chief executive, Sarah Cardell, told the Guardian that the watchdog needs to 'go further is to make sure that perceptions of the regime haven't created a chilling effect'.
