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People & Opinion Utility Week community UTILITY WEEK | 5TH - 11TH FEBRUARY 2016 | 7 "We're talking about £220 billion being spent in the next ten years by utilities – it's very significant" Bob Gallienne, chief executive, NJUG "2016 could be a gateway year leading to developers having genuine choice about who provides their water connections" W ater self-lay compa- nies have started 2016 like plants in a mild winter, bursting forth where conditions allow them to serve developers looking to have con- nections provided by respon- sive businesses. But self-lay organisations (SLOs) know that, like mild weather, favourable conditions may not last and inconsiderate gardeners can set them back. Whereas plants usually benefit most in the mild south, it is the north where conditions are best suited to self-lay. Here the way is well prepared and competitive provision the norm. Moving south, the (water com- pany) gardeners have shown less interest in removing the behavioural and charging barri- ers preventing SLOs from getting established. Fair Water Connections, an association set up to support the water self-lay community, believes that 2016 could be a gateway year leading to develop- ers across England and Wales having genuine choice about who provides their water con- nections. Early indications are that the water companies are now better recognising the require- ment for behavioural change and realising that how they provide monopoly/"non-con- testable" services can disadvan- tage SLOs. Further encouraging signs are that Water UK, the provider of advice to the gardeners, is engaging with SLOs to discuss best practice provision and how this can be shared across all regions. This will take time and a start would be the removal of the bias towards in-house connection provision in their developer service performance measures. The gardeners have been slow to recognise that they are responsible for the condi- tions in their areas. Hence their managers may know that fair competition requires them to be open to growing new plants, and the way they need to be nurtured. But because their teams are interested only in what they have done before, they deny that any failure of new plants to get established is anything to do with them or their contractors. This situation has led Ofwat to investigate competition compliance in one area, but Fair Water Connections still finds little evidence that learning from the Ofwat report, and published determinations, has been widely adopted. It is also thought that the regulator could do much more (aer all, it is its "duty") to pro- mote effective water connections competition. Self-lay seeds were planted in 2004. It is taking a long time for them to germinate everywhere. Whether this will happen in 2016 is an open question. Clearly action by Ofwat, the attitude of the water companies and SLOs seeing that they can fairly com- pete will all play a part. Opinion Martyn Speight, Managing co-ordinator, Fair Water Connections £1.5-£2bn the amount utilities spent on streetworks in 2014/15 NJUG – Delivering the Vision 2016 The National Joint Utilities Group (NJUG) held its annual "Delivering the Vision" conference in Peterborough on 28 January, and on the back of transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin's announcement that utilities could be fined £5,000 for every day roadworks are le unattended at weekends, streetworks was a hot topic. "Most of the works [are] delivered by contracts. However, we are responsible for that work and its legacy. Therefore, we have more to gain from ensuring the quality is there" Dave Regan, streetworks operational manager, ENW £4.3bn estimated cost of traffic delays caused by streetworks to UK plc every year £5,000 the potential fine utilities face for every day that roadworks are left unattended at weekends 97% Network availability at a minimum to keep traffic flowing and reduce the impact of roadworks