Trust in the water sector
To help increase trust in the water sector, in 2025-26 CCW will:
- Respond to the Competition and Markets Authority on the appeals made by Anglian Water, South East Water, Southern Water, Wessex Water, Northumbrian Water and Thames Water
- Contribute to the joint Defra/Welsh government’s Water Commission, starting by promptly responding to the call for evidence
- Set up and run customer panels for each of the water companies in England and Wales to hold water company executives to account
- Build on lessons learned from the 2024 price review to influence the 2029 price review
- Carry out at least 5 incident assessments with water companies
- Carry out at least 5 debt assessments with water companies
Carry out at least 8 complaint assessments with household water companies and at least 2 with retailers CCW’s online reports will highlight learning points and best practice to benefit customers and the wider industry. CCW will also work with specific companies on their assessment actions plans, through our engagement work with them, to track progress and improvement
- Seek to create a mediation and adjudication scheme for business customers
- Carry out at least one formal investigation – either into services for households or business customers – as per CCW’s powers under section 29A of the Water Industry Act 1991
- Publish a follow-up report on whether low water-use businesses (using up to 0.5Ml/yr) should be in the water retail market in England
- Publish a 2-years-on progress report of CCW’s Five Year Review recommendations
