WICS begins a Market Health Check to verify retailers’ higher service commitments

(by Karma Loveday)

The Water Industry Commission for Scotland (WICS) has kicked off its first Market Health Check – a review to verify whether retailers active in the Scottish business market are delivering on their commitments under a new Code of Practice and continuing to meet their licence obligations.

Beginning this month, the process will take until July 2026, after which WICS will share the results publicly. This will give business customers information on how their suppliers are performing against their promises, and will enable retailers to identify areas in need of improvement so they can strengthen their service.

All active retailers in Scotland have voluntarily signed up to the Code of Practice introduced in April 2025, under which they commit to go beyond the basics to deliver enhanced service standards. These include providing a cooling off period for customers on sign-up, enhanced information, and a smooth switching process. The Code was developed collaboratively by WICS, Scottish Water, Consumer Scotland, the Central Market Agency and retailers.

Mark Cassidy, WICS’ new director of markets, said: “Scotland’s water market was designed to deliver greater benefit to business customers — and this new Code of Practice ensures it continues to do just that. By setting clear expectations and introducing robust, independent checks, we’re giving businesses confidence in their choice of provider while ensuring retailers meet the high standards their customers expect and deserve.”

Gail Walker, head of water at Consumer Scotland, commented: “Consumer Scotland has been central to the development of the Code of Practice to ensure long-standing concerns from businesses about clearer and more straightforward terms and conditions were addressed. We welcome the fact that all licensed providers have now signed up to the Code and are committed to delivering higher standards of service for business customers.

“We are working with water sector partners to establish a new Governance Group to maintain and update the code and ensure it acts as a foundation for continual service improvement. This group will be chaired by Consumer Scotland and informed by additional consumer research on the experience of businesses in this sector next year.”