CCWater

Consumer Council for Water

As of 1 October there will be a new non-departmental public body in the Defra family. The Consumer Council for Water (abbreviated to CCWater to avoid confusion with the initials for the Countryside Council for Wales) will take over the functions of WaterVoice, which is the customer representation arm of the Office of Water Services ( Ofwat ). CCWater has been set up under powers in the Water Act 2003 to look after the interests of consumers of water and sewerage services in England and Wales by:

• handling and investigating complaints from domestic and business consumers that are not resolved by water and sewerage companies
• providing advice to consumers, water and sewerage companies, regulators and public authorities
• having special regard for vulnerable consumers, eg people on low incomes, people with disabilities or who are chronically sick, pensioners and people living in rural areas
• investigating any matter of interest to consumers that is not necessarily the subject of a complaint

CCWater is the first consumer body to have been given a statutory duty to contribute to the achievement of sustainable development.

Further information

Contact David S Jones ( david.s.jones@defra.gsi.gov.uk or tel: 020 7082 8352)

See the CCWater website