Ofwat’s consultation response on proposed licence modifications to introduce customer-focused principles for all water companies
We are pleased to have been able to provide our views to Ofwat as it has developed its thinking on the proposed customer licence condition. We have also undertaken customer research jointly with Ofwat to help ensure that people’s views, expectations and experiences feed into this work and are central to the outcomes it will drive for them.
Our response
CCW welcomes the proposed introduction of a customer licence condition. We believe that the legal duty created can help ensure the industry gives appropriate focus to meeting the needs and expectations of people into the future. We also recommended the introduction of the customer licence condition in our 2021 independent review of water affordability for UK and Welsh Governments.
We support the replacement of Condition G with the new customer focussed licence condition as set out in the consultation document.
We welcome the inclusion of a requirement for appointees to consult the CCW, where appropriate, in developing policies and approaches to meet the principles for customer care set out in the licence condition, building on our role set out in the currently set out in licence condition G.
We note that Ofwat plans to set out the areas which CCW should be consulted on when it publishes its Core Customer Information guidance. Although not necessarily an exhaustive list, we support the areas currently identified by Ofwat for potential inclusion:
- Affordability & Vulnerability;
- Creation of and subsequent significant changes to customer facing information on what help customers should expect in incidents;
- Water company Business Plans, as part of the Price Review;
- Water companies’ approach to having a customer-centric culture;
- Complaints code of practice;
- Information that describes CCW on bills and on their website.
We are keen to continue to contribute to Ofwat’s work to develop guidance documents supporting the principles set out in the new licence condition. We note the plans for this set out in Ofwat’s response document to its earlier consultation (pdf). We welcome the intent to issue guidance on the management of incidents and events informed by our ongoing joint research with Ofwat on customers’ experiences of such events.
We support the deletion of Condition J given the relevant requirements of this condition are already provided for within other licence conditions.