Donation made to customer support fund
Westward is delighted to hear from the EEM community donation scheme that we are to receive £740.96 in the shape of a donation.
This is a benefit of using procurement framework Advantage South West (ASW) in 2023, a group of providers through which we affordably bulk buy items for home improvement programmes such as new kitchens.
The donation must be spent on a project that benefits a community. Westward is pleased to tell our customers that this money will be ring-fenced for our customer Household Support Fund to help those struggling with the cost-of-living crisis.
Westward’s Deputy Chief Executive, Paul Bryan, said: “This donation comes just in time for Christmas when so many are in their greatest need. Westward had already doubled its household support fund this year and recruited an additional financial inclusion officer to better support financially struggling customers. This is the first time we’ve had this income from EEM and we are delighted to be able to share it on to those customers who need it most.”
As a not-for-profit organisation, procurement framework group EEM distributes all operating surplus to their membership in the form of community donations. These donations are split proportionally between members based on their spend through EEM frameworks. Westward’s spend was £223,677.00 this year.
Membership of Advantage South West has an additional value in that Westward secures better procurement deals for supplies through the buying club. The club is called Advantage South West (ASW) and the benefits of membership ensure that our residents’ money goes further on key supplies such as new heating systems. We achieve scale economies as ASW covers over 130,000 homes and this purchasing power is ten times greater than what we could achieve on our own. Added benefits of our membership include the EEM Community Donation.