Couple sitting together and looking over their financial paperwork

This morning, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) published its Provisional Findings opens in new window following four water companies’ appeals against Ofwat’s final determinations on price controls for 2020-25.

Ofwat’s determinations set out the amount that water companies can charge their customers in that period, as well as the services and investments customers can expect to receive in return. Four companies – Anglian Water, Bristol Water, Northumbrian Water and Yorkshire Water – appealed to the CMA to re-examine Ofwat’s final decisions, and these initial findings were published today.

Responding to this announcement, Emma Clancy, CEO at CCW, said:

While customers will welcome the additional investment to safeguard the reliability of future services, any bill rise – no matter how small – would be a body blow to households already reeling from the financial impact of coronavirus. Companies need to be clear about what customers are getting for this money, while increasing the support available to those who might struggle to afford the proposed increase. The industry also needs to work together to end the postcode lottery impacting the range of help available to customers in different regions. We will be responding to the CMA’s provisional findings and will expect customer views to be heard and listened to.

CCW will now dig into the detail of this announcement and respond to the CMA’s consultation, ensuring that the customer voice is represented throughout the process.