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On Wednesday, when companies enact the their 2020-25 business plans, there will be a brand new criteria for customer service. However, watchdog CCW still has concerns that the C-Mex system could undermine the importance of complaints data.
5 years ago
In the latest of a series of articles exclusively for Utility Week members, Maxine Frerk – former senior partner networks at Ofgem – gives her view on the price control processes across the utilities sector. She examines the themes emerging from the PR19 appeals and what read across we can identify for the price reviews in energy.
Bristol Water chief executive, Mel Karam, talks to Utility Week about the company's reluctant decision to challenge Ofwat's final determination - for the third price review in a row. He discusses where he believes the regulator has got it wrong and the lessons learnt from previous challenges.
Credit rating agency S&P has given its vedict on the water companies of England & Wales after taking into account the reactions to the 'toughest determination ever' from Ofwat.
With a record number of appellants requesting referrals from Ofwat to the Competition and Markets Authority for their PR19 business plans, Utility Week gathers expert views on the areas most likely to feature in the appeals.
Anglian and Northumbrian's decisions to ask Ofwat to refer their final determinations to the CMA have taken the number of appeals to an unprecedented four. Meanwhile, Thames has said that while it “carefully considered” a CMA referral, it ultimately judged that this would be a “significant management distraction” at a key time. Southern also "reluctantly" accepted Ofwat's terms.
With just one day to go until the deadline for appealing to the CMA, SES Water has accepted its final determination but highlighted the challenges the cost gap and lower allowed revenue will create. Newly appointed chief executive Ian Cain said company had raised its concerns to Ofwat and would look for alternative approaches to deliver for its customers.
Bristol Water is the second company to make a request to Ofwat to refer its business plan to the Competition and Markets Authority for appeal. The company said there were "some technical issues, mainly around how to finance our company" that caused it to appeal.