#AskUsAnything: The evolving relationship with regulators and policymakers

Event Date: 01/01/1970 12:00 am

Our latest #AskUsAnything looked at how interactions with the government and the regulators have changed during lockdown and what this means for the for the ongoing dynamic of the sector. It is now available on demand.

In response to the coronavirus pandemic, regulators and policymakers have had to quickly adapt their approach to the utilities sector.

Ofgem and Ofwat have both talked publicly about the need for pragmatism when it comes to compliance issues. The latter has already had to intervene to implement urgent code changes to support the non-domestic market.

Meanwhile, negotiations continue directly between the energy supply sector and the government over how the issue of bad debt will be dealt with. In the process, insiders say department for business, energy and industrial strategy (BEIS) civil servants have developed a hitherto unfamiliar interest in all areas of the sector.

Will these new relationships continue after lockdown – and if so, how does this affect the dynamic of oversight in the sector?

Our expert panel – including Ofwat’s former director of strategy and planning, Trevor Bishop; ex-senior partner at Ofgem, Maxine Frerk and Tom Lowe from Bulb – discussed these and other issues in our latest #AskUsAnything.

You can listen back to the discussion here.