Kelda axes 500 as price 削減（する）s bite

By This Is Money
Updated: 00:00 BST, 7 December 1999

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Water and waste group Kelda, owner of Yorkshire Water, has 追加するd 500 more 地位，任命するs to the 広大な／多数の／重要な 職業s cull that has followed the 産業 regulator's 堅い price review of last month.

The company, which was 攻撃する，衝突する with a 14% one-off 削減（する） in 法案s next year costing £80 milli on in regulator Ian Byatt's review, said it had decided not to 控訴，上告 against the 削減（する） which it 述べるd as a 'challenging but achievable' 的.

Chairman Brandon Gough said: 'However, we do have to 配達する an 広範囲にわたる 環境の 改良 programme and at the same time 減ずる prices 意味ありげに.

'This will have wide-範囲ing 関わりあい／含蓄s for the water 商売／仕事 and means that we will have to 減ずる 意味ありげに our operating costs.'

The 職業 削減（する）s 代表する nearly a fifth of the 2,700-strong 全労働人口 in the company's 核心 water and sewerage 公共事業（料金）／有用性 and will be carried out over the next 12 months.

They will cost about £20 million, which will be 告発（する），告訴（する）／料金d to this year's accounts. The 株 rose 15p to 315p. The 最新の 告示 means that the number of 確認するd 職業 削減（する）s in the 産業 has already passed the 3,000 示す.

Severn Trent said last week it would have to chop 1,100 地位，任命するs and the final 産業 一致する could be 9,000 or more によれば 産業 見積（る）s.

Kelda 報告（する）／憶測d a 4% 増加する in first-half pre-税金 利益（をあげる）s to £122.2 million for the six months to the end of September, with 収入s per 株 rising by 1.7% to 30.2p.

The 暫定的な （株主への）配当 is 存在 raised 8.1% to 7.3p with a '類似の' 百分率 rise likely at the year end.

The company also said it had no 計画（する）s to 削減（する） the （株主への）配当 in the light of the regulator's 決定／判定勝ち（する）.

Turnover and 利益（をあげる）s from the 公共事業（料金）／有用性 商売／仕事 rose 6% and 12% それぞれ に引き続いて a 6% rise in 法案s in the first half.

利益（をあげる）s from the 非，不，無-規制するd 操作／手術s were up from £6.2 million to £8.4 million, although the company said this was understated by accounting factors and should rise はっきりと.

In June Kelda became the first British company to buy a 名簿（に載せる）／表（にあげる）d American water 供給者 when it 首尾よく made a $444 million 企て，努力，提案 for Aquarian.