Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 8
8
Acknowledged
Water company customer trust at lowest level due to environmental and service failures.
Conclusion
Customer trust is at its lowest level since monitoring began in 2011.14 The Consumer Council for Water told us that, according to its survey, environmental performance was the biggest driver of dissatisfaction amongst customers.15 Committee members also drew attention to problems experienced by our constituents, including poor company responses to issues with burst pipes, and sewer flooding in particular.16 Company performance on key metrics, such as supply interruptions and 9 C&AG’s Report, para 1.10 10 Qq 58, 60, 62 11 Qq 58, 62, 64 12 WSR0003 13 Qq 63-64 14 Qq 1, 8; C&AG’s Report, para 1.6 15 Q 2 16 Qq 42, 94-95, 97, 99, 106, 108 10 pollution incidents, has stagnated over the last ten years.17 As the Consumer Council for Water explained to us, at the moment people feel water bills are not fair.18
Government Response Summary
The government recognises that customer trust in water companies is low and that environmental performance is a key driver of customer dissatisfaction, and is taking action to hold water companies to account for their environmental performance and to ensure that they are transparent with customers about their performance.
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
The Government recognises that customer trust in water companies is low and that environmental performance is a key driver of customer dissatisfaction. Water companies need to do more to improve their environmental performance and to communicate effectively with customers about the challenges they face and the steps they are taking to address them. The Government is taking action to hold water companies to account for their environmental performance and to ensure that they are transparent with customers about their performance.