Trade Bodies / Regulator's

[surveyor]

Various Regulators

OFCOM
OFWAT
OFGEM

These have allowed the industries to increase their charges. Usually, the suppliers plead poverty, often having spent/borrowed too much money.

Are they fit to purpose as regulators or industry mouthpieces?

[phil4]

Firstly I guess we need to remember they're setup to regulate based on the rules and remits dictated by government. So while the government may slopey shoulder the responsibility, in reality the OFxxx are their mouthpiece.

Secondly, I suspect a game of brinkmanship occurs in these negotiations. In some ways, while it seems unfair to not punish the company for being put into debt by a former owner, that money isn't coming back, and the past doesn't really have any bearing on the future. I'd hope then they squeeze as hard as they can, but not so much that they all go out of business.

That being said what you can learn form the past is from the mistakes, and they should go back and look at those, and see why they didn't do anything, or didn't do enough and work out how to change that so it can't happen the same way again.

[Du1point8]

OFWAT certainly aint fit for purpose and I have no idea what they are or have been doing with Thames water over the years to allow them to be ladened with such a debt that the taxpayers will have to bail them out as its a critical resource for the country, so cant go bust.