Customer challenge groups

Price review 2014

Water and sewerage customers deserve excellent service at a fair price. In order for us to set price limits, companies will have had to engage with their customers to understand their priorities to be able to deliver the service they want at a price that is good value for money, and set these out in their business plans.

To support this, companies have set up customer challenge groups. The groups are independently chaired and consist of a cross-section of customers or their representatives. They include members from:

  • Consumer Council for Water (CCWater)
  • businesses
  • local authorities organisations representing customers with specific needs (for example Age UK or Citizens Advice)
  • Environment Agency, Natural Resources Wales and Natural England
  • Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI)

The customer challenge groups have a key role in helping us target our scrutiny of company business plans. They will:

  • challenge the quality of the customer engagement process
  • challenge how well the company’s proposed outcomes and outcome delivery incentives reflect its customer engagement, and customers’ views and priorities
  • provide an independent report to us at the same time as companies submit their business plans