Modern slavery statement

About Us

Established in 1935 William Davis Homes is a regional, family-owned business and our principal activities comprise acquiring land for development, obtaining planning consent and building high quality family homes and communities. All our operations and activities are UK based and we directly employ 400 employees. We have an annual turnover of £100 million.

Our policy on slavery and human trafficking

William Davis Ltd is opposed to slavery and human trafficking in all its forms. Our Anti-Slavery Policy sets out our commitment to acting ethically and with integrity in all our business dealings and relationships, and to implementing and enforcing effective systems and controls to ensure modern slavery and human trafficking is not taking place anywhere in our own business or in any of our supply chains.

We are also committed to ensuring there is transparency in our own business and in our approach to tackling modern slavery throughout our supply chains, consistent with our disclosure obligations under the Modern Slavery Act 2015.

Due diligence and risk assessment

Direct employees

As part of our initiative to identify and mitigate the risk of slavery and human trafficking in our directly employed workforce we manage all recruitment through a central process overseen by the Human Resources department. We ensure that all directly employed workers have the right to work in the UK and we make all employees aware of their contractual terms including their hours of work, rate of pay, holiday entitlement etc though a written statement of terms. All other company policies are set out in the employee handbook which is accessible to every employee.

The company ensures that all employees are rewarded through a fair and structured pay and benefits programme in accordance with the company Equal Opportunities Policy.

The health and wellbeing of employees is a priority for the business, and this is managed through a number of policies including the company health and safety policy, and the mental health and wellbeing policy.

Agency Workers

Our workforce is occasionally supplemented through agency workers though this is minimised. The company operates an Engaging Agency Workers Policy to ensure consistency of approach and process when engaging any Agency Workers and to ensure that we meet legal requirements and that relevant records are kept. This is overseen by the company HR department.

The company also operates an Approved Agency Supplier list so that all contractual terms are agreed in advance of an assignment, and each agency is required to supply a written statement or policy on their approach to preventing modern slavery and trafficking.

Our supply chains

Our supply chains are primarily made up of the following;

• Subcontract supply and fit. In this arrangement we engage with subcontract companies who utilise their labour to install product which they have also sourced and procured.
• Subcontractor labour only. This is where we engage with a subcontractor who provides labour to install products which we have ourselves procured.
• Material supply only. This relates to the purchase of materials from suppliers, which will be subsequently installed by our direct employees, and/or a labour only subcontractor.

As part of our initiative to identify and mitigate the risk of slavery and human trafficking in our supply chain we have amended our subcontractor terms and conditions to highlight our Company’s Anti Slavery policy and the requirement of those with whom we engage to comply with the principles of the Modern Slavery Act.

Training

To ensure a good level of understanding of the risks of modern slavery and human trafficking in our supply chains and our business, in 2019 we undertook an awareness campaign to educate managers and to highlight key signs and indicators of someone that may be a victim of modern slavery and how to report this. We are continuing this awareness programme through a series of online training sessions for those members of staff responsible for recruitment, procurement of goods and services and supply chain management.

Further steps

Following a review of the steps we have taken to ensure that here is no slavery or human trafficking in our workforce or supply chains we intend to take the following further steps in 2021;

• We will be rolling out a training programme through a series of online training sessions for those members of staff responsible for recruitment, supply chain management and the procurement of goods and services.
• We will continue to proactively engage with our supply chain partners to improve processes and increase awareness of the Modern Slavery Act and to identify and assess potential risk areas in our supply chains.
• We continue to assess any new recruitment agency, subcontractor or supplier relationships to ensure their suitability as business partners to William Davis Ltd.
• We will liaise with relevant industry bodies to share and implement best practice procedures for combating modern slavery and human trafficking within the construction industry.

This statement is William Davis’ Modern Slavery Statement for the financial year ending May 2021. It was approved by the Executive Management Team and is signed on its behalf by:

Mr G Higgins,

Managing Director

31st May 2021