Welcome from the Chair

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2 Welcome from the Chair Welcome to the Consumer Council for Water (CCWater) Annual Review for Wales where we highlight the impact our work has had for domestic and business water consumers over the past year. Government in Wales has listened to CCWater. We strongly agree with the Welsh Government s Written Statement on Water Policy in Wales, published in December 2011, where the Minister commented: I believe that putting customers at the heart of delivery is key to the development of water and sewerage services in Wales. This is something we are committed to and have worked to promote since we were set up in Diane McCrea Chair Wales Committee Consumer Council for Water The Minister continued: In relation to the Consumer Council for Water, the Gray review team strongly recommended to the UK and Welsh Government that effective consumer representation is required in the water sector for the foreseeable future and the functions currently undertaken by the Consumer Council for Water should be retained. I share this view and I value the role of the Consumer Council for Water in relation to consumer representation in Wales. This representation will be particularly important for providing customer representation for the price setting planning round, the Price Review 2014 (PR14). This recognition of our role in representing consumers in Wales is important as there is still much to do to ensure that consumers views are at the heart of delivery, and that they get the very best service and value for money from their water companies. water companies address the growing water affordability problem in Wales: we have been asking for government action on affordability and this is a first step. The Welsh Government has committed to implement regulations that help water companies recover debt from tenants to reduce the cost of debt to all other customers, as we have argued for several years. We have pushed water companies to improve their customer service. Overall complaints to the industry are going down and the number of customer complaints we have had investigated in the Wales office has decreased considerably. This means that many more customers get resolution of their complaints right first time by the companies in Wales, but there are still too many who need to complain to their company, and ultimately to us, to get effective resolution. FOREWORD The Welsh Government has committed to issue guidance on social tariffs to help Every week, we help hundreds of people in a very real way by resolving 2

3 Welcome from the Chair continued problems with their water companies. Since we were set up in 2005 overall in England and Wales we have achieved over 14.3m in compensation for water customers, with 2.3m in compensation in 2011/12 alone. In Wales we have achieved over 1.7m in redress since 2005 and this past year alone over 48,000. There is still much more to be done to ensure regulators are incentivising companies to improve customer satisfaction with value for money, challenging the water resource management process including leakage targets, to be more customer focused and sensitive to customers views. Delivering value for money for water customers. We continue to build on our substantial successes for consumers and have been instrumental in getting Ofwat to change the price setting process so it is driven by consumers priorities and willingness to pay. We have played a central role in establishing Customer Challenge Groups which will review companies customer engagement and challenge their business plans for the price review concluding in We continue to deliver value for money. Overall CCWater costs the equivalent of just 21p a year per bill payer, while still delivering for water consumers. Part of the way we have done this is by refocusing the membership of our committees. The new, smaller groups of Local Consumer Advocates better reflect the new approach to price setting, and by focusing on specific issues will be able to deliver even greater benefits for water customers. This meant that in 2011 we said goodbye to two of our dedicated committee members - Wayne Rees and Nia Gittins: both were real champions of customer service and forcefully challenged companies to improve their services. Wayne and Nia s contribution to our work was outstanding, and I would like to express our sincere thanks to them both. I d also like to thank all our team in the Wales office, and the Wales Local Consumer Advocates, for their continued commitment and hard work over the past year. We look forward to another successful year on behalf of all water consumers served by companies in Wales. Diane McCrea Chair Wales Committee Consumer Council for Water Case study CCWater gets a 792 refund for a customer in Port Talbot CCWater asked Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water to provide a free new connection to a customer in Port Talbot as the customer had already paid 1200 for a leak repair that hadn t worked. The company refused because there was an outstanding matter affecting other customers served by the shared supply and so the customer had no choice but to pay for her new connection. Months later the customer discovered that some other customers had been offered a free new connection. CCWater contacted Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water and they agreed to refund her connection fee of 792. They also did the same for anyone else that had already paid. FOREWORD 3

4 The Consumer Council for Water by numbers 48, million 21p gained by CCWater Wales office in compensation and rebates for consumers in Wales in 2011/12. over 1.7m gained by CCWater Wales office in compensation and rebates for consumers in Wales since what we cost each bill payer in 2011/12 INTRODUCTION 4

5 Big wins for water consumers in 2011/12 We have convinced regulators and Governments in Wales and Westminster to listen to CCWater. We have helped more vulnerable customers in Wales to receive support. CCWater pushes companies to improve their customer service. INTRODUCTION Many of CCWater s views on affordability and debt recovery were reflected in the Welsh Government s written statement on water policy in December The Defra and Welsh Government review of Ofwat and consumer representation in water stated: We consider it essential, in view of the monopoly position enjoyed by the water companies in most of their activities, that the functions currently performed by CCWater should be preserved in any new institutional arrangements. In 2011/12 uptake in the Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water Assist tariff increased by 5,000 customers to 21,900. Uptake for WaterSure increased by over 200 customers to over 650 for Dee Valley Water. These improvements followed our on-going work to improve the promotion of the scheme and our earlier work to re-brand it and introduce a simplified application form. Overall complaints to Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water reduced by 17% last year following pressure and encouragement from us to improve their service. Last year the CCWater Wales office helped Welsh customers get over 48,000 in compensation and rebates. 5

6 Strong representation The Consumer Council for Water strongly represents water consumers in Wales. The Consumer Council for Water (CCWater) is the independent, statutory consumer body for water and sewerage consumers. It has an office in Cardiff and a committee of Local Consumer Advocates in Wales. We keep in close contact with consumers and the water and sewerage companies in Wales: Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water, Dee Valley Water and also liaise with Albion Water. In mid Wales customers are served by Severn Trent Water, which is covered by our Central and Eastern office and committee in Birmingham. In Wales, CCWater is jointly sponsored by the Welsh Government and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). In protecting consumers interests we work with the Welsh Government in the development and implementation of devolved water policy. We use consumer research to direct our work and as such the water industry, regulators and associated organisations recognise the Consumer Council for Water as the informed, influential and effective consumer champion. We take up domestic and business consumers complaints where they have tried and failed to resolve them with their water and sewerage companies. CCWater costs each water bill payer an average of 21p in 2011/12. Consumers views, as expressed in our research and outlined in our Forward Work Programme, continued to form our priorities for the year 2011/12. They were: Value for money: a fair, affordable charge for the service and help for those who cannot pay, creating a sustainable water service now and in the future. Right first time: for water companies to resolve consumers problems quickly and without hassle. Water on tap: a safe, reliable and good quality tap water that is sustainable and consumers use wisely. Clearing up: successful delivery of a sustainable wastewater service and sewer flooding mitigated and reduced. water consumers: achieve improvements for water consumers and help local consumers views be the drivers of key decisions that affect their water bill. INTRODUCTION 6

7 1. Value for Money Working to ensure bills are fair and affordable We helped inform customers to decide if they could save money by opting for a water meter. Our work has helped produce an increase in the take up of the assistance schemes including WaterSure and Welsh Assist scheme. More people are signed up to special assistance registers since we began working with companies to raise awareness in We have made consumers views more central to water price setting. We represent consumers concerns in Wales about the value for money they receive from water and sewerage services, and the growing problem of water affordability. We helped inform customers to decide if they could save money by opting for a water meter. This year we improved our water meter calculator and made it accessible to more customers in Wales and England to help them decide whether they could save money on a meter. Our work has helped produce an increase in the take up of the assistance schemes including WaterSure and Welsh Assist scheme. We carried on working closely with Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water in the continued roll-out of its Welsh Water Assist 1 tariff which extended the scope and benefits of the previous WaterSure 2 tariff. In 2011/12 uptake in the Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water Assist tariff increased by 5,000 customers to 21,900. We represent consumers concerns in Wales about the value for money they receive from water and sewerage services, and the growing problem of water affordability. 1 Welsh Water Assist caps the bills of all customers on certain benefits, with either three or more children or a medical condition requiring extra water usage. 2 WaterSure is a scheme that caps the bills of metered customers in receipt of certain benefits and who have either three or more children or a medical condition requiring extra water usage. 7

8 1. Value for Money continued Case study CCWater secures a customer s bill credit A customer in Hereford paid their metered water bills on time, amassing a credit, which he asked to be refunded. As a result, the company became aware that the usage was low and discovered the meter was under recording. They initially refused to refund his credit as they intended to date the charges once they gauged the actual usage from a new meter. However, following our intervention the company identified certain customer service issues that should have been better and agreed not to date the charges and refunded the 290 credit. We also worked closely with Dee Valley Water on increasing uptake of its WaterSure scheme. In 2011/12, Dee Valley Water has seen an increase in the schemes uptake by over 200 customers to over 650. We continue to work with the water companies on simplifying the WaterSure application forms and process, and promoting the benefits to customers. We have also worked with both water companies to promote additional assistance for those who struggle to pay their bills: Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water has seen an increase in uptake on Water Direct 3, by nearly 1,000 to over 15,000. Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water s Customer Assistance Fund 4 has seen an uptake of over 500 customers to 2,500. Dee Valley Water will be monitoring changes to its Water Direct scheme from 2012 onwards. More people are signed up to special assistance registers since we began working with companies to raise awareness in We have worked with water companies in Wales to improve their awareness of the needs of, and communication with, vulnerable customers. In 2010/11, both Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water and Dee Valley Water increased the number of customers on their additional services (special assistance) registers. For Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water the number of customers on the register increased by 37% to 15,868 in 2011/12. The number of Dee Valley Water customers on the additional services register has also increased in 2011/12 by 50 to 636. We have worked with Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water to identify improved assistance for social tenants whose water bills are collected by their registered social landlords. We have ensured that consumers views are more central to the water price setting process. Following the success of the price review in 2009 (PR09), which was over 1bn better for consumers compared to the previous price review when CCWater was not around, we have pressed Ofwat to change the price setting process so it should be driven by consumers priorities and willingness to pay. The Welsh Government s Wales Water Forum has been complemented by the addition of Company Customer Challenge Groups. These new groups 3 Under the Water Direct scheme, a set amount is deducted from benefits and paid directly to the water company until the arrears are cleared. 4 Welsh Water s Customer Assistance Fund was created for household customers who are in water arrears to help reduce their debt and help manage their on going payments. 8

9 1. Value for Money continued We have continued to highlight the need for water affordability to be addressed, and used our research to advise the UK and Welsh Governments will review each company s customer engagement and will challenge company plans to deliver customers priorities. We have been reviewing water companies engagement and research proposals so customers voices are heard loud and clear. CCWater has pushed Ofwat for a new framework for price setting to deliver: A price setting process that delivers the outcomes customers want; a price setting regime that has stronger incentives for water companies to deliver these outcomes, such as increasing customer satisfaction with value for money; and more challenging cost assumptions and efficiency targets, especially on the cost of raising money from borrowing and equity. We agree that there is a need for a strong, independent body for water consumers. We look forward to early confirmation from Government that CCWater will continue to be the water consumer body. We will continue to work constructively with CCWater as it develops and adapts to meet future needs. Rob Wesley, The View, Water UK, July Affordability We have continued to highlight the need for water affordability to be addressed, and used our research to advise the UK and Welsh Governments in response to their consultations on the future approach to water charging. We promoted tips for water saving and how to reduce bills through press releases and media interviews. Since 2006 we have seen a marked improvement in the proportion of customers in Wales who agree that their bills are affordable. This is currently at 72% (down slightly from 75% last year) but up considerably from 56% in CCWater Annual Tracking Survey Research Agency DJS Research, published June

10 2. Right first time We deal directly with unresolved complaints about water companies for both domestic and business customers and press companies to get their service right first time. We have challenged companies in Wales to improve their customer service. We have pressed companies in Wales to return 48,000 to customers in compensation and rebates in 2011/12. We have continued to help identify customers entitled to a rebate for surface water and drainage charges. We helped 65,000 consumers find answers to questions about water in Wales and England in the last year. We beat our targets and continue to improve our customer service and performance. CCWater helps people in a very real way, every day. Our complaints team in Wales continually works with companies in Wales and across England to get their service right first time. We have challenged companies in Wales to improve their customer service. Overall complaints to Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water reduced by 17% last year following direct pressure to improve its service. Complaints to Dee Valley Water increased by 24%, albeit from a much lower base. Complaints to CCWater about Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water reduced further in 2011/12. In 2011/12 complaints against Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water decreased to 391 from 477 in 2010/11, and complaints against Dee Valley Water increased to 47 from 41 in 2010/11. We continue to challenge both Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water and Dee Valley to reduce complaints and deliver a right first time service. We have also worked with both companies to improve communication with their customers, and particularly to improve their billing, debt management and telephone systems. Last year the Wales office helped Welsh customers get over 48,000 in compensation and rebates. We have used our complaints management system to help us share complaints and workload across offices in Wales and England to ensure we give customers a timely and efficient response. This has helped us handle complaints more efficiently across the whole organisation. In 2011/12 the total number of complaints handled in our office in Wales was 929 including 492 complaints from companies in England. This was 28% more than last year. We have continued to help identify customers entitled to a rebate for surface water drainage charges. In 2011/12 we continued to work with Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water to identify customers entitled to rebates. We have also agreed with the company that proactive rebates should be given in specific cases where there is no doubt that customers are entitled to the rebate because their surface water does not drain into public sewers. 10

11 2. Right first time continued We provided help for 65,000 consumers across Wales and England to find answers to questions about water last year. To meet the demands of consumers online, we provide advice and help on complaints through our consumer support website and frequently asked questions. Further, those consumers who still needed help from our staff were able to easily and quickly log their queries directly into our system. This web based advice is in addition to, and complements but does not replace, our more traditional forms of written and telephone contact for those consumers who do not have access to the internet. We beat our performance targets and continue to work to improve our customer satisfaction. We are committed to ensuring consumers have had their complaints responded to and resolved as quickly and effectively as possible. We continually monitor our own performance against our targets and standards to ensure we are providing a quality service. Our main targets are the response times to complaints and the number of complaints resolved within 20 and 40 working days. We continue to improve our services and strive to exceed our Operational Business Plan (OBP) targets. When we have resolved a complaint we ask the customer for their views of the quality of our service. We also monitor the customer s satisfaction with the outcome of the complaint and the speed and courtesy of our service. We strive for continuous improvement in the service we provide to our customers Wales Table 1 Complaint responded to within 5 days Percentage of complaints closed within 20 working days Percentage of complaints closed within 40 working days Wales Table 2 Satisfied with complaint outcome Satisfied with speed of service Satisfied with quality of service Satisfied with courtesy of staff Operational Business Plan target Operational Business Plan target Actual performance 2011/12 100% 100% 77% 84% 90% 93% Actual performance 2011/12 61% 54% 78% 85% 72% 72% 91% 96% 11

12 3. Water on tap We promote the value and benefits of tap water and encourage consumers to use water wisely. We were engaged in key discussions relating to the management of water resources in Wales for the benefit of water consumers. We contributed to the Energy Saving Trust s pilot Livingwise behaviour change project with our tips on saving water and links to our improved Water Meter calculator. We have put customers at the heart of resilience planning for the price review. We have worked with Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water to improve communications and information to customers when there have been problems with their water supplies. We were engaged in key discussions relating to the management of water resources in Wales for the benefit of water consumers. This year we responded to the consultation on a revised Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water Resource Management Plan and are preparing for discussions on the management of water resources for both water companies for the price review. Water companies efficiency strategies will be important in managing future water resources in Wales. We continued to raise awareness among consumers about using water wisely and efficiently. As a result of projected population growth, climate change, the need to use water wisely will become even more important and we want to help consumers by offering practical solutions to make changes and explain why these are necessary. Our research tells us that over two thirds of consumers in Wales claim to take specific actions to reduce their use of water. We collaborate with other organisations to raise awareness, reinforce messages, and encourage behavioural changes to use water wisely. 12

13 3. Water on tap continued We have put customers at the heart of resilience planning for the price review. We liaised with other organisations including the Energy Saving Trust in Wales to coordinate messages on water efficiency and ensure customers expectations of possible savings on water and energy bills were realistic. In 2011/12 CCWater contributed a leaflet to Energy Saving Trust s pilot Livingwise behaviour change project. It offered advice and a link to our improved Water Meter calculator to help consumers make a decision on whether they should consider switching to a water meter or not. Over 20% of the households involved in this project requested our leaflet. These were households that did not have a water meter at the time of the research. We have put customers at the heart of resilience planning for the price review. In 2011/12 we worked with Ofwat and the water industry to develop guidance to help customers understand Welsh natural hazard risks accurately, and to engage customers about the level of Case study CCWater obtains a 815 leakage allowance for an elderly customer An elderly customer in West Wales asked Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water to investigate a leak after receiving a high measured bill. The company could not find a leak but didn t tell the customer and six months later increased the monthly direct debit payments to cover the high bill. CCWater pressed the company to consider the customer s consumption history, excellent payment history, age and that usage had returned to normal. Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water agreed as a gesture of goodwill to apply a one off leakage allowance of 815. resilience to services that should be delivered. We have succeeded in placing customers at the heart of the process of resilience planning during the price review. Both companies in Wales have contributed to this project, and they continue to liaise with our Welsh office in planning for future improved infrastructure resilience. We have worked with Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water to improve communications and information to customers when there are problems with their water supplies. We have reinforced messages and kept customers informed where there have been problems through a wider, and wiser, use of media. We continue to sit on the Water for Health Partnership for Wales, of which we are founder members. This initiative provides a comprehensive framework for addressing drinking water quality concerns and works in partnership to ensure joined up policy and delivery in any water quality event. 13

14 4. Clearing up Consumers tell us that they expect to receive reliable sewerage services from their local water company, with waste water removed and treated effectively. We have pressed companies to reduce the risk of sewer flooding and improve their standards of service to those affected. We worked to inform consumers during the transfer of private sewers and lateral drains. We contributed to the development of regulations that can ensure new foul sewers and drains meet required standards before they are adopted by water companies. Overall 89% of consumers in Wales are satisfied with their sewerage service. We have pressed companies to reduce the risk of sewer flooding and improve their standards of service to those affected. We continued to work with water companies in Wales to ensure they provide an effective sewerage service and to ensure adequate investment and delivery of solutions to reduce the number of properties at risk from sewer flooding. Our leading edge table, which rates sewer flooding best practice, places Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water as the providing the most comprehensive service in Wales and England, which is commendable. We continued to monitor the effective delivery of the Surface Water Management Investment Programme approved by Ofwat in The programme continues to remove risk of sewer flooding for more properties than originally planned through the more effective delivery of the agreed schemes. Case study CCWater settles a dispute over a private sewer adoption A developer was in dispute with Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water over the adoption of the sewer serving his housing development. The company had claimed it had not been brought under company ownership as part of the Private Sewer Transfer in October 2011 because the properties, although built and connected before July 2011, were unoccupied. CCWater referred Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water to the statutory guidance and they agreed that it had in fact been adopted, which was positive news for the customer. 14

15 4. Clearing up continued we have developed clear guidance for developers on the adoption process and standards to minimise the burden on small businesses. We worked with the water companies and Governments in Wales and England to ensure the transfer of private sewers and lateral drains was communicated as effectively as possible. In February 2012 we published our research into the transfer of private sewers and lateral drains. We used this to inform the companies of customers views on the effectiveness of their communication and what more needs to be done. The research will also help direct the pace at which companies upgrade the former private network and how this should impact on customers bills. The research can be found here. We were members of the Welsh Government s stakeholder communications group which facilitated the smooth and effective communication of this transfer with customers in Wales. We contributed detailed comments on communications with the public and provided regular updates that helped us monitor the impacts of the transfer on the consumers we represent. We continue to work with all stakeholders on the secondary private sewers and lateral drains transfer which will take place in Wales in October We contributed to the development of regulations that can ensure new foul sewers and drains meet required standards before they are adopted by water companies. We contributed to workshops and a consultation on new mandatory build standards for new sewers and drains. These new standards will help mitigate risk to customers. At the same time, in representing business customers, we have developed clear guidance for developers on the adoption process and standards to minimise the burden on small businesses. Case study CCWater gets 500 for a customer A Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water customer received a large bill six months after he moved into a new home. The water company said he had failed to inform them that he had moved in and sent him a dated, unmeasured bill for 1,088. The customer provided evidence from his letting agents that the water company was informed. CCWater pressed Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water to consider the evidence and they agreed to cancel the arrears which reduced the bill to

16 5. consumers CCWater is the consumers voice in the monopoly water industry. The UK and Welsh Governments have listened to CCWater. Many of the priorities that CCWater has been campaigning for on behalf of customers were reflected in the December 2011 Welsh Government written statement on water policy. We have and will continue to work with Welsh Government to establish the best options to meet business customers needs in Wales. Our work to promote UK Government funded affordability solutions continues. We have continued to represent consumers concerns and spoken up loudly for consumers to the Welsh Government, the National Assembly for Wales, the UK Parliament, regulators, media and other organisations connected to the water industry. The UK and Welsh Governments have listened to CCWater. In July 2011 the UK and Welsh Governments published a review that examined the role of CCWater. It took evidence from a wide range of sources from across the industry and beyond. The review team led by David Gray concluded that our role was vital in protecting water consumers and should continue into the future. Many of the priorities that CCWater has been campaigning for on behalf of customers were reflected in the December 2011, Welsh Government s written statement on water policy. The Welsh Government has taken stock The review team is strongly of the view that effective consumer representation will be required in the sector for the foreseeable future and that the functions currently undertaken by the Consumer Council for Water should be maintained and protected in any new approach. Indeed, we can see areas in which the consumer role could be extended. Defra review of Ofwat and consumer representation in water, of our representations and its written statement published in December 2011 acknowledges that: putting customers at the heart of delivery is key to the development of water and sewerage services in Wales. It has also committed to reducing the percentage of people identified as having water affordability issues in Wales and will 16

17 5. consumers continued be looking to build on the work we have already carried out on social tariffs and bad debt and further work will form part of the [Welsh Government] Tackling Poverty Plan. We will continue active engagement with the Welsh Government and all policy makers on behalf of customers. I value the role of the Consumer Council for Water in relation to consumer representation in Wales. This representation will be particularly important for providing customer representation for the price setting planning round, the Price Review 2014 (PR14). In addition, over the few years we will see a considerable review and change in regulation and strategic planning in the water sector. The Consumer Council for Water will have a key role in providing critical input to inform these changes over the few years and to ensure that the interests of customers, both householders and businesses in Wales are represented effectively. John Griffiths, Minister for Environment and Sustainable Development, Water Policy in Wales written statement, December In 2011/12 we represented the interests of water consumers in discussions on the integration of natural resources management in Wales and the establishment of a single environment body that will merge the Environment Agency Wales, Countryside Council for Wales and the Forestry Commission Wales into one organisation. We have and will continue to work with Welsh Government to establish the best options to meet business customers needs in Wales. We have been working with the water companies on identifying the needs of their business customers and continuously driving improvement to services. We have been liaising with the Welsh Government in the development of its Water Strategy for Wales as it explores the role of market reform and regulatory mechanisms for driving improvement and innovation in the industry. The Welsh Government remains to be convinced that further competition in the We have and will continue to work with Welsh Government to establish the best options to meet business customers needs in Wales. 17

18 5. consumer continued water sector would benefit customers. Our priority has been, and remains, to ensure that any such developments are introduced at no detriment to customers. Our work to promote Government funded affordability solutions continues. We made direct representations on social tariffs, water poverty and bad debt to the Welsh Government as it begins drafting its Tackling Poverty Plan which aims to reduce the number of people struggling with water affordability in Wales. Media and public events. We have strongly asserted the consumer voice on water issues and brought consumer pressure to bear on regulators and water companies through the Welsh media. We issued press releases including those reporting on complaint levels to the industry and the impact of increased inflation on customers bills. Case study We worked to fix billing issues and apply rebates for 500 Dee Valley Water customers It came to our attention that customers charged for sewerage by Dee Valley Water on behalf of Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water on the assessed measured charge were possibly being overcharged. We worked with both companies and they agreed to amend the policy, upgrade billing systems and pro-actively apply rebates to the customers affected. Over 500 customers have benefitted from this change, including a customer we directly helped get a rebate of 670. We have continued our campaigns on how to save money from water bills by having a meter installed, being water wise, protecting pipes from frost and thaw, the dangers of bogus callers and reducing sewer flooding. We work with organisations or individuals with a stake or interest in the water industry or water consumers. In 2011/12 we continued to represent water consumers interests through our place on the Welsh Government s Wales Water Industry Forum, and contributed to strategic discussions on a wide range of water policy issues. We continue to communicate and work with a range of organisations and individuals with a stake or interest in the water industry, such as the Environment Agency, the Drinking Water Inspectorate, Ofwat, Consumer Focus Wales, Citizens Advice Wales and the Energy Saving Trust. In 2011/2012, we have strengthened our working with Shelter Cymru to provide better help and support to those who need it most and are struggling with their bills. We strive to provide clear and accessible information and communications to water and sewerage customers about their services, complaints and enquiries. 18

19 Achievements against objectives CCWater s Review of Achievements against Business Plan Objectives 2011/12. This document makes sure we have achieved what we set out to achieve in 2011/12. It outlines the specific objectives we set ourselves and our success in meeting them. It can be accessed on our website via this link. This document makes sure we have achieved what we set out to achieve in 2011/12. Each year we undertake research that tracks water consumers views over time. This helps inform our work and is the basis for many of the statistics used in this document. Please click Allow if requested by Adobe Acrobat. 19

20 The Wales Committee Diane McCrea, Chair of the Wales Committee, would like to thank Wayne Rees and Nia Gittins for their hard work for water consumers in Wales. Wayne and Nia stepped down on 31 November The Consumer Council for Water in Wales has a committee of five Local Consume Advocates (LCAs) since December There were eight Committee members until 31 November. In 2011/12 the Wales Committee membership was: Diane McCrea Chair THE BOARD Claire Evans Nia Gittins Member until 31 November 2011 Wayne Rees Member until 31 November 2011 Mansel Thomas Norman Thomas Alison Warman Paul roberts 20

21 Consumer Council for Water Victoria Square House Victoria Square Birmingham B2 4AJ Consumer Council for Water Room 140 Caradog House 1-6 St Andrew s Place Cardiff CF10 3BE