Workforce, culture and performance

Electricity North West launches £7m flexibility tender

London mayor commits £10m to cut dig disruption

Strikes loom at Thames and Scottish Water

Industrial action is on the horizon at both Scottish Water and Thames Water following disputes about pay. Workers at Scottish have already voted overwhelmingly to strike, while Thames workers are due to vote on a final pay offer negotiated with union bosses. GMB – which represents workers at both water companies – said that it doesn't think a better deal can be achieved through further negotiations with Thames Water, and a union spokesperson added that strike action is likely to follow if members vote against the deal.

How do I make switching simple and accelerate first-time switch success rates?

Ofwat flags financial concerns with half of water companies

EDF and Ovo weigh in on Utilita CMA appeal

Octopus CEO: DFS was best driver of smart meter uptake

A quarter of customers cannot repay energy debt

MPs urged to investigate Scottish Power PPM warrants

Davy: CSOs weren’t talked about five years ago

Flexibility in water regulation is required to ensure companies can react to evolving consumer expectations such as sewer overflows, Susan Davy, head of Pennon has argued. She noted that overflows, which politicians and regulators made an investment priority for water and sewerage companies, were not being talked about five years ago when plans for PR19 were being made.

Thames ring-fences extra £500k for vulnerability support

Thames is dedicating £500k through its Trust Fund initiative to support financially vulnerable households in London and the Thames Valley. This includes £400k in grants to debt and money advice services across the region and £100k to a household pot that customer service employees can direct billpayers to.

Financing doubts cast over water company business plans

Financing of water company plans for 2025-30 is reliant on huge sums of equity being put forward by investors at a time when returns are squeezed and the sector faces myriad performance challenges. For these reasons attracting the investment needed may be tougher than previous AMPs, analysts have warned.

Weekend press: Hydrogen boiler push to continue despite verdict of UK watchdog

In our latest round-up of national press coverage, the government and sections of UK industry will reportedly continue to back the prospect of using hydrogen for home heating, despite recent warnings against the technology from the National Infrastructure Commission. Elsewhere, concerns are raised about the impact of a lack of port infrastructure on offshore wind, while plans by Labour to incentivise take up of electric vehicles are revealed.

Utility Week Awards 2023 shortlist revealed

UU adds HGVs to electric fleet

Water bills deemed unfair, yet affordable

Scottish Power granted PPM warrants

Ofgem slams Utilita’s ‘ill-founded’ CMA appeal

Tougher targets and increased investment to weigh on water credit ratings

New Ofgem chair: Low morale fuelling high turnover