Our response to Citizen Advice – Draft Consumer Work Plan for 2025-26

Published: 27 February 2025
Categories: Consultation responses, Consumer protection
Three people sitting at a table reviewing financial documents together, with one person offering supportive guidance.

1. Introduction

CCW is the independent voice for water customer in England and Wales.

Citizens Advice has published its Draft Work Plan for 2025-26 outlining the planned areas of focus. We feel there are opportunities for CCW and Citizens Advice to work together to put consumer interests and the consumer voice at the heart of essential markets.

CCW supports the Citizens Advice Draft Work Plan 2025-26 and welcomes the opportunity to provide input.

2. Executive summary

In this document we will respond to the elements of the plan that interlink with work that CCW carries out within the water sector and where we feel there are opportunities to work together or share thoughts and insights based on our work.

In this response we will be looking at the following elements of the plan –

  • Consumer duties
  • Poor outcomes in price evolution
  • Effective bill support schemes

3. Detailed response

Consumer duties

We support plans to consider the approaches being taken by different regulators to put consumer interests and the consumer voice at the heart of essential markets. We worked closely with Ofwat on the development and implementation of the water company Customer Licence Condition. This aims to ensure that all water customers in England and Wales get high standards of customer service and receive appropriate support that meets their needs. CCW would welcome the opportunity to share our experiences from the establishment of the Customer Licence Condition and from our work in monitoring how this is influencing services to customers in practice.

Poor outcomes in price evolution

CCW welcomes consideration being given to pricing practices in essential markets. We have encouraged water companies to explore the scope for innovation in future approaches to charging for water to help identify if these might help in addressing some of the challenges which face the sector (such as the need to use water resources efficiently and to help ensure improve the affordability of water services). A number of companies are currently trialling innovative water tariffs. CCW has worked with these companies as they have developed and implemented schemes. This has included ensuring that they put in place appropriate safeguards to ensure customers in vulnerable circumstances are adequately protected, or excluded from the trials. We would welcome the opportunity to share our thinking and experience so far in this area.

Effective bill support schemes

Our recent affordability research4 shows that just under half (44%) of water bill payers have reported a reduction in their spending in the last 12 months on necessities such as heating or food to ensure they could pay all their household bills, including their water bill. This research shows that it is more important than ever to ensure that there are effective bill support schemes available to those who continue to struggle, and those who will begin to struggle financially.

We have valued the opportunity to work closely with Citizens Advice on this issue in recent years and are keen to continue to do so as we continue to press for:

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