Citizens Advice calls for ‘essential services taskforce’

Citizens Advice is pushing for the creation of an ‘essential services taskforce’ to simplify and improve the support received by vulnerable customers.

In its recently published ‘Getting support to those who need it’ report the consumer charity outlines a number of challenges faced by vulnerable customers, namely the complicated process of supplying multiple service providers with their relevant data.

It highlights the impact the pandemic has had on household incomes and that the government’s newly announced smart data working group presents an opportunity to improve and modernise how data is shared across essential services sectors in order to deliver better support services.

The report highlights how consumers cannot sign up for the support they need in one place and must instead separately contact each provider. If their circumstances change, they will need to contact all these companies individually.

Furthermore the report points to how duplication can occur within sectors and cites the fact energy suppliers and network companies both separately identify and engage with the same consumers, to provide similar forms of additional support.

The charity says the design of the current system results in poor consumer experience, increased demand on support services and customers missing out on support they need.

Further issues include an increased chance of data errors and a lack of transparency over data use.

It outlines six principles of a better customer journey:

• A consistent approach to consent
• Assess vulnerability in a consistent way
• Make the best use of data the first time it’s provided
• Data should be portable between companies
• Help trusted support services to register customers in need
• Make it easy to upload data

To achieve these aims, the charity is calling on the government to sponsor an independently chaired, expert industry taskforce which will make recommendations towards improving the customer journey.

The taskforce would produce a report on options for modernising vulnerability support in essential services.

Gillian Cooper, interim head of energy policy at Citizens Advice, said: “Many households’ incomes have been significantly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. In response, the government introduced essential and extraordinary measures during the height of the crisis to support people. But this crisis hasn’t only tested household finances. It’s also exposed that many of our policies, rules and processes, when put to the test, were insufficient for the challenges we’ve faced.

“As temporary support systems start to be wound down, our focus and attention needs to turn to how to build back better. We think reform of how people can access additional support in essential services markets is required. This includes markets like energy, water, telecommunications and financial services — services that every household relies upon.”

“The improvements to support services in essential services markets will take time to get right, design and implement. This isn’t a proposal that will deliver relief for people ahead of this winter. But it’s a worthwhile improvement to our country’s infrastructure and could make a real difference to people’s lives”, she added.

The prospect of a shared priority services register (PSR) has been raised in the utilities sector previously and Electricity North West and United Utilities trialled such a scheme in 2018. Plans to roll out a common register nationwide in April this year have been delayed, however.

Earlier this year Auriga Services, a subsidiary of Severn Trent Trust Fund, revealed plans to launch a nationwide portal to share information about vulnerable customers.