UTILITY WEEK | 12TH - 18TH JUNE 2015 |
9
Interview
A
lan Lovell has big shoes to fill. His predeces-
sor as chair of the Consumer Council for Water
(CCWater) – Dame Yve Buckland – oversaw a huge
transformation in the industry in terms of customer ser-
vice and satisfaction over her ten-year reign. But despite
only having been in the role for a couple of months, the
new man is not daunted.
In fact, he has a quiet but steely determination to
ensure the good work will continue, but also to make his
own mark on the water watchdog. Not a revolution, more
a gradual evolution of "tweaks", as he puts it.
Lovell came to CCWater at the start of April with a
background in the energy sector, having been the chief
executive of renewables developers Infinis and Tamar,
and is still a non-executive director of two clean energy
businesses. Task number one will be learning about the
industry, and getting to grips with the details of the last
price review. But Lovell already has some ideas about his
likely agenda. Ensuring the survival of CCWater is top of
the list, plus extending its profile and reach. The peren-
nial hot potato of a national social tariff has landed on
his desk, as has market reform – Lovell outlines plans to
step in if necessary to protect customers.
Then there is the issue of making sure the companies
have "the consumer at heart" when the next price review
rolls around, by changing the way the customer chal-
lenge groups (CCGs) are run.
A lot to take on, then, especially with the weight of
expectation on him as he follows the highly regarded
Buckland – but that is something Lovell has no worries
about. "It is part and parcel of the job," he says.
Aer playing the "new boy" card, he goes on to
