Ofwat has launched a new consultation on proposed updates to its existing guidance on assessing whether customers in England and Wales are eligible to switch their water and wastewater retailer.
On 10 March 2016 the regulator launched a consultation on its supplementary guidance for assessing whether non-household customers in England and Wales are eligible to switch their water and wastewater retailer when the new retail market opens in April 2017.
As part of that consultation Ofwat said it intended to update its eligibility guidance to take into account commencement of relevant provisions of the Water Act 2014.
The guidance followed requests from companies operating in the market for additional clarity for some customer groups.
One of the main reasons for publishing the updated guidance is that the introduction of the new non-household retail market under the Water Act 2014 requires companies to examine whether previously ineligible customers are now eligible. Ofwat said the updates to the eligibility guidance are not intended to change the focus or direction of policy.
Issues where the regulator is looking for comment include whether or not any of the updates are consistent with commencements of the relevant provisions of the Water Act and the development of its thinking on the transition from the water supply licence regime to the water and sewerage supply licence regime. It also wants to know whether there are any inconsistencies between the eligibility guidance and the supplementary guidance.
Once Ofwat has considered responses to the consultation, it plans to release the updated eligibility guidance and supplementary guidance and seek approval from the Secretary of State and the Welsh Ministers before publication.
Deadline to submit comments on the updated Eligibility Guidance is 2nd May 2016 – click here to access the “Updated Eligibility Guidance Consultation” document.