New independent Customer Scrutiny Committee to challenge Southern Water

Dan McDonald, chief executive of Citizens Advice Medway and a local councillor, has established and will chair a new independent committee to challenge Southern Water on its customer and community-impacting decisions.

Live-streamed meetings will take place every three months to challenge the company on important topics like investment plans, pollution, bills and the way they respond to loss of water supply incidents.

Southern Water said the initiative comes as part of the Government’s Water Special Measures Act and that McDonald’s leadership will focus the work of the independent Customer Scrutiny Committee on fairness, transparency and meaningful challenge.

Other panel members include a charity leader, a local government specialist, a businesswoman with customer service expertise, a healthcare professional and an HR specialist.

McDonald said: “This is a genuinely bold and much-needed step forward. The strength of this committee lies in its true independence — our members are not here to rubber-stamp decisions, but to challenge, question, and help drive improvement on behalf of customers and communities.

“It’s been reassuring to see Southern Water welcome this new way of working with openness and transparency. That willingness to be challenged shows a real appetite for change — and we intend to make the most of this opportunity to ensure that customer voices are heard, respected, and acted upon.”

To mark the launch of the panel, members were given a tour of Southern Water’s largest wastewater treatment works at Peacehaven near Brighton, hosted by chief executive Lawrence Gosden and chief customer officer Antonia Barton.