‘The Consumer Council for Water provides a strong voice for water and sewerage consumers in England and Wales. With regional offices we keep in close contact with companies that provide these services as well as the consumers themselves. CCWater has returned over $180 million to water consumers since 2005, has dealt with 42,000 complaints and returned over $5.6 in compensation’ Richard Franceys Regional Member

Ofwat, The Economic Regulator Tariffs & service ($1.10 pc pa+30% -Incentive based regulation -5 year price review for annual inflation +’K’ Drinking Water Inspectorate (water quality at tap) Environment Agency (water resources, wastewater discharge) and Consumer Council for Water ($0.35 pc pa) Buckland Fletcher Colbourne Harman CCWater Ofwat DWI EA

Consumer Council for Water National Board members with responsibility (having ‘centralised’) Regional members (‘ongoing deliberative focus group’) Regional office staff for complaints appeals – ‘we are not God’ – good record on compensation - greater than the cost of running some committees Formal annual assessments by regional members of water company complaints and debt management procedures Meetings with companies in public – raising issues, monitoring performance reports, being ‘educated’ into the issues Meetings with companies and EA and DWI re Price review Representing customers on River Basin District Liaison Panels Monitoring quadripartite focus groups and customer surveys And And …….. ‘We have an enormous effect …’

Research ‘We are an evidence based organisation and we use consumers’ views to inform our campaigning and policy making. Our research gives us a solid foundation on which to build a case for consumers at all levels within the water industry and Government. We consult widely on our research proposals, working in partnership on industry wide collaborative research and publish all our findings. Our research keeps us in touch with consumers and provides a method for them to communicate their main concerns. ‘ How can part-time regional members absorb so much ?? Policy Positions Affordability & Bills Business Consumers Charging Policy Climate Change Competition Consumers' Rights & Responsibilities Debt Recovery Desalination Plants Distraction Burglaries Droughts Endocrine Disrupters Fining Water Companies Flooding Fluoridation Investment by Water Companies Leakage Metering Price Review 2009 Private Water Supply Pipes Sewer Flooding Site Area Charging Special Assistance Sustainable Development Tap Water Thames Tideway Tunnel The Vulnerable in Society Trickle Flow Water Direct Water Efficiency Water Framework Directive Water Pressure

2010 Consumer Direct? 1990 Volunteer members 2 companies 2005 paid 2 days/month 8 companies 2003

Key messages If regulation is the ‘Impartial referee’ in the ‘match’ between the policy-makers and the providers then Customer Involvement is the ‘biased linesman’ (Will Dawson) Consumer representatives as ‘educatable consumer deliberative committee’ for easy access by water utilities and regulator Not exclusive, never the last word on customer interests, never very ‘powerful’, not even very representative.. (media input often/always more effective politically?) But consumer representation is useful and important as far as it goes.... and needs to be facilitated by government ‘Function’ is much more important than any particular ‘form’ However fulfilled, the basic principle should be: ‘a bias towards the poor’ (in monopolies as elsewhere, the rich always manage to look after themselves)