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Coffey has dealt ‘body blow to social tariffs’
The idea of a nationwide social tariff for water bills has garnered near universal support from industry, consumer bodies, regulators and government - until now. Therese Coffey's bombshell comments that this is no longer Defra's preferred approach has left the sector "surprised and bitterly disappointed". Utility Week gauges the reactions of sector experts.
News
Drought key 2023 focus for CCW
The consumer watchdog for water has targeted drought as one of its key campaign focuses for 2023, along with ending water poverty and increasing minimum guaranteed standards scheme (GSS) payments. CCW pointed out that payments for failing to meet guaranteed minimum standards of service have been stagnant for 20 years now.
News
Ignorance breeding discontent towards water firms, poll shows
More than half of water customers believe challenges facing the sector including drought, leaking pipes and polluted rivers are squarely in the control of companies and feel frustrated at how these are dealt with. A survey by CCW found perceptions of water companies have been badly damaged by reports of storm overflow spills but stressed that understanding of the issue “was incredibly limited” and a “single, simple” message was needed from the sector.
News
Why company culture belongs in PR24
CCW's chief executive Emma Clancy challenges the water sector and Ofwat to shine a light on company culture in the upcoming price review. She argues that the right culture can align an organisation’s strategy, but the wrong one could steer it off course. Clancy proposes measuring company culture through employee engagement or accredited community impact measures in a way that can be "formally rewarded" through the price review.
Opinion
Wastewater complaints jump by a quarter
CCW has attributed a 25% increase in the number of complaints about wastewater to heightened public awareness and media attention around pollution and sewage discharges. It said the overall number of complaints remained flat in 2021/22, whilst there was drop in the number escalated or sent to the watchdog, suggesting companies are handling them better.
News
Public trust in water companies hits 11-year low
Customer trust in water companies has fallen to its lowest point in 11 years, with perceptions of the fairness of charges for water and sewerage services also dropping off, according to CCW's latest annual Water Matters survey for 2021. The organisation renewed its calls for a single social tariff to end the current "postcode lottery" after seeing a rise in the proportion of respondents describing their bills as unaffordable, particularly among vulnerable groups.
News
CCW: Largest water retailer skewing complaint handling improvement
Overall complaints about water retailers have fallen year on year but customer watchdog CCW has warned complaint numbers only tell part of the story. Improvements made by some companies were offset by increases in written complaints about the largest retailer in the sector, which is working with the consumer group to improve.
News
On the Move: Ex-CCW chair to lead EA
Utility Week's latest round-up of appointments across the sector includes a new chair at the Environment Agency; a non-executive director joining SES Water from BP and a new addition to the Crown Estate.
News
Wastewater companies told to improve sewer flooding responses
Ofwat and CCW have said wastewater companies must review their responses to sewer flooding incidents after a report commissioned by the bodies found customers felt let down by slow action, poor communication and inadequate compensation. CCW chief executive Emma Clancy said the research had exposed “a cross-sector failure which is leaving people who experience sewer flooding in vulnerable circumstances.”
News
People struggle to identify environmental impacts of water habits
Despite many people saying they are aware of the impact their household water habits can have on the environment, far fewer understand the specific effects and fewer still have modified their behaviour to benefit the environment. That is according to research by CCW that has coincided with the launch of Water's Worth Saving campaign coordinated by Water UK.
News
CCW launches credit protection campaign for businesses
CCW has launched a campaign to support water retailers to tell their customers about any credit accrued on their account and inform them of the risks as well as benefits of advance payments. The watchdog wants all business customers to be aware that in the event of retailer failure they could lose their money and will offer a communication toolkit to spread the word effectively.
News
Energy crisis magnifies need for single water tariff
A single social tariff for financially vulnerable water customers is “even more important” in the context of a wider cost of living crisis, CCW has said. The consumer body is currently working with Defra and the Welsh government to establish how to implement a scheme and what it will look like, with the aim of having it in place for the start of the next price review period in 2025.
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