As the business retail water market reaches the end of its first year, water sector experts, industry bodies and a small number of business customers met to reflect on the market twelve months in.
Ofwat’s Chief Executive, Rachel Fletcher, opened the ‘Open Water – One Year On’ event reflecting on the successes of the year and the challenges ahead.
Throughout the course of the morning, delegates heard from Steve Smith, Managing Director of Customer Development and Innovation at Lloyds Bank as well as from a customer panel – giving their first-hand experience of the water market.
Ofwat Senior Director, Emma Kelso, said:
“In the first year of the business retail water market we’ve seen some green shoots – with about 10% of businesses engaging with the market in some form and self-supply taking off more than we’d anticipated. We are seeing evidence that business customers who have engaged with the market have seen real benefits.
“However, it is clear that there is a lot more work to do and we will continue to work with the sector to make improvements and strive to ensure that the market works for customers.”
