Utility Week

8 | 15TH - 21ST NOVEMBER 2019 | UTILITY WEEK Election 2019 Analysis their water company, with 17 per cent saying the same about their energy supplier. Votes and complaints Respondents who claimed they would vote Conservative were signi cantly more likely than those who said they'd vote Labour to be satis ed with their energy companies' performance and o• er of value for money. A Water UK spokesperson said services provided by water companies had improved dramatically in the past 30 years thanks to nearly £160 billion of investment, with customers now ve times less likely to experience supply interruptions, eight times less likely to su• er from sewer „ ooding, and 100 times less likely to have low water pressure. Nonetheless, the Consumer Council for Water received 11,000 complaints, a rise of 17 per cent com- pared with the previous year, and complaints about retailers were up 45 per cent year on year, according to its annual review published in August. Complaints have risen sharply since non-household customers in England was given the option to switch supplier in 2017. "As a sector, we recognise the need to go further to achieve the high standards expected of the industry, which is why we have bold plans to drive down bills, reduce leakage and increase investment," the Water UK spokesperson said. "In addition, through our Pub- lic Interest Commitment, the industry will prevent the equivalent of four billion plastic bottles ending up as waste and achieve net zero carbon emissions for the sec- tor by 2030." The environment As environmental issues continue to climb the political agenda, the current government is certainly talking the talk; prime minister Boris Johnson is to chair a new Cabi- net committee on climate change that will bring together ministers responsible for domestic and international cli- mate change policy and provide a forum to hold depart- ments to account for their actions to combat climate change. With Brexit poised to remove the stick of EU environ- mental rules, an independent watchdog – the O™ ce for Environmental Protection – is being created to hold the government to account. Meanwhile, a new environment bill will set out to tackle the biggest environmental pri- orities of our time. Voters clearly hold environmental issues close to their hearts and survey ndings suggest some underlying frus- tration with the pace of change and a lack of genuine commitment to the environmental cause. In total, 78 per cent of respondents supported the government's commitment to tackle climate change and reduce greenhouse gases to net zero emissions by 2050, with 53 per cent wanting the sector to continue the roll- out of smart meters to all households by 2020. Of those, 41 per cent didn't think the 2050 net zero deadline was soon enough. A further 47 per cent said they supported bringing forward by eight years the ban on the sale of new petrol cars, to 2032. And over half of respondents said they thought sustainability and the environment would slip down the agenda under Boris Johnson's leadership. Paying for net zero Meanwhile, a big debate remains about who should foot the bill – estimated by government at £1 trillion – for the charges associated with the shiž to low-carbon energy. Currently, the cost of transition is being passed on to consumers via their bills. However, our research nds that almost half of respondents would favour paying the costs of decarbonisation through direct taxation, as a fairer method to those on lower incomes. This compares with 30 per cent of our sample who would be happy to retain the status quo. Slade said it is vital the transition to net zero is a fair one, and central to that is how we fund this transformation. "It's interesting to see the support for direct taxation in this survey, because we need to look at alternatives to the standard practice of levying policy costs on to bills, which takes no account of ability to pay and can lead to those on the lowest incomes carrying a disproportionate burden," he said. As the focus on clean energy continues, two out of ve respondents said they supported the construction of new nuclear power stations, with men signi cantly more likely to support this direction of travel. Britain's old nuclear power stations are a key part of the energy system, supplying about a ž h of electricity supplies, according to Energy UK. However, their share has been gradually shrinking as renewables have grown. Seven of Britain's eight nuclear sites will have shut by the end of the 2020s as they reach the end of their lifetime, with only Sizewell B in Su• olk continuing to operate. But with a quarter of respondents unsure about whether they supported more nuclear power, it's clear that parties supporting the nuclear power option have a signi cant education challenge on their hands. What is clear is that the utility sector faces unprec- edented pressures on several fronts and the outcome of this general election could have massive rami cations for the sector as a whole. And the intentions of voters are proving harder to read than ever. Rachel Willcox is a freelance journalist continued from previous page "We recognise the need to go further to achieve the high standards expected of the industry, which is why we have bold plans to drive down bills, reduce leakage and increase investment." WATER UK NET ZERO EMISSIONS Yes, but I don't think 2050 is soon enough Yes, I fully support this commitment No, I think the new government should review it Don't know/unsure Question: Do you support the UK government's commitment to tackle climate change and reduce greenhouse gases to net zero emissions by 2050? 41% 37% 13% 8%

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