Thames CCG highlights inconsistent outcomes and calls for a core trust metric

(by Karma Loveday)

Thames Water’s Customer Challenge Group (CCG) has recommended that customer trust is monitored as a core performance measure — “not as a proxy for all external noise, but as a way of focusing attention on the quality and consistency of controllable actions that matter most to customers”.

That appeared in the group’s 2025 annual report, which gave Thames a mixed review.

Noting the extremely challenging context — featuring refinancing, a pending price appeal, the water reform landscape, Thames’ internal Transformation Programme and a £123m fine — the CCG said its overall assessment “is of steady operational progress, but continued inconsistency in 

customer outcomes". It listed the following as examples:

• The company is increasingly open in acknowledging challenges and sharing data — a marked improvement from previous years. 

• Customer focus is becoming more evident in tone and culture, particularly in CEO presentations to the group. 

• However, the persistence of systemic data billing failures is disappointing and remains unacceptable, given the CCG’s repeated advice. 

• A commitment to a new Customer Service Strategy is welcome and the CCG would like to see greater clarity on sequencing, and increased pace in delivery. 

• It remained to be convinced that the company “yet fully understands the depth of customer feeling on river pollutions and the dangers posed by rapid climate change. The approach to climate change lies well behind that of industry leaders and although we have seen evidence of improvements, more needs to be done.”

• Operationally, drought planning and learning the lessons of serious incident management are clear examples of what effective, customer-centred delivery can look like. 

The report said: “The contrast between these strong and weak areas highlights the need for greater consistency of leadership, discipline and accountability across the business… Thames Water does not yet operate, from a customer’s perspective, as a single, joined-up organisation.” 

The CCG recommended: 

• Execution consistency  — The company must close the gap between well-performing and under-performing areas, ensuring common standards of leadership, better data utilisation and customer responsiveness.

• Customer strategy delivery  — Thames Water should expedite the delivery of its customer strategy, including the accelerated adoption of modern technology, and reflect this in revised milestones and stronger metrics on the culture change needed for it to succeed. 

• Evidencing benefit  — At the heart of all activities, the company should evidence how and why the decisions it makes in delivery are giving the best value to customers now and in the future. 

Chair Sukhvinder Kaur-Stubbs summarised in her foreword: “While underlying performance at Thames Water is improving, the CCG views inconsistency across the services  — not lack of capability  — as the primary risk.”