Strategic Panel to focus on metering and plotting a course to a flourishing market

The non household retail market’s most senior group, the Strategic Panel, updated its priorities last week as it published its first annual report.

Alongside its three overarching target market outcomes (value creation, customer service excellence and water efficiency), and the five market priorities that sit underneath these (to get the money, basics and incentives right, and for water efficiency and innovation), the Panel identified specific work programmes to focus on (see chart at the foot of this article).

These have taken on feedback from the market that the Panel needs to focus more closely on key matters. Chair Trisha McAuley explained in her foreword to the updated priorities statement: “There is much to do, but we also recognise the need to focus effort on what will deliver the most value to the customer. Our goal is to encourage a flourishing market which we will do by getting the basics right, getting the money right and getting the incentives right. From this our other priorities of innovation and water efficiency should follow.” She added that: “The priorities in this document begin to shift from understanding to setting direction.”

Key work programmes will be on metering and data – to ensure a coherent strategy for smart meters and the data flowing from them – and to produce roadmaps for a flourishing market and water efficiency.

The annual report for 2022/23 noted achievements including:

• responses to Ofwat’s draft price control methodology and Retail Exit Code review;

• development and publication of the NHH Interim Metering Strategy;

• a joint customer synthesis report commissioned with CCW;

• a review of the disputes process; and

• a review of the code change mechanism.

The report also set out Panel costs for the year and the results of a market survey which found 88% of respondents felt the group was a respected voice in the market and had made an impact in its first full year of operation.