Strategic Panel Roadmap actions
The Strategic Panel has five actions (P1-P5) allocated to it in their Roadmap to a Flourishing Market. Find out how the Panel is progressing with these below.
Each action is assigned a red, amber or green (RAG) status depending on its progress. The definition of the RAG status is as follows:
- Green – on schedule, no concerns OR delivered and under review
- Amber – flagged because an issue has been encountered that may or may not delay the completion of the action
- Red - delay or issue identified that is preventing delivery to schedule
| Action | Latest update | End date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
|
P1. Report on progress to a flourishing market. Produce a regular report on progress to a flourishing market to meet the condition that potential new entrants have access to the state of the market. This will enable informed decisions on whether to enter the market which could enable increased customer choice. |
June 2025: No change from April 2025. This is an ongoing piece of work. Regular progress updates for each action are published on a quarterly basis on these webpages. Further detail, including progress against the market health indicators is expected to be published in an annual report. The first report is due to be published in August 2025 with future years after the end of each financial year.
April 2025: This is an ongoing piece of work. Regular progress updates for each action are published on a quarterly basis on this webpage. Further detail, including progress against the market health indicators is expected to be published in an annual report after the end of each financial year. |
31 March 2026 |
On schedule |
|
P2. Debate on non-household open market data. Facilitate a debate on what open data means to the market, including who holds what responsibilities and who can access what. This could enable third party intermediaries (TPIs) and authorised stakeholders (e.g. landlords and customers) to request data corrections and make informed choices on water saving or switching. |
June 2025: A paper suggesting some data sharing principles for the market and outlining their potential impacts is expected to be prepared for discussion at the 3 September Panel meeting. It is expected that the principles will then be refined and presented for discussion at the Panel Open Forum on 19 September.
April 2025: MOSL plans to produce a paper for the Strategic Panel in June to capture progress so far including principles, data items, what can be made open (i.e. without licencing) and the obstacles to 'opening up' data items. A consultation is then planned over the summer with responses to feed into the Panel's Open Forum in September. |
31 March 2026 |
On schedule |
|
P3. Debate on centralised data. Facilitate a debate on the holding of centralised customer data to ensure there is clarity on where correct customer and consumption data is held and who has access to it. This will enable a common standard for benchmarking so the market can evidence on water demand by customer segment, water resource zone, postcode or catchment area. |
June 2025: The Strategic Panel approved the full business case for the Smart Meter Read Hub (SMRH) - a central platform to share smart meter data between wholesalers and retailers. In phase 1 due for implementation in March 2026, the hub will provide daily access to hourly smart meter reads. In Phase 2 due by the end of 2026, will enable automated read submissions to the Central Market Operating System (CMOS) to streamline billing and settlement. Funding is through market performance charges, with no direct build costs for trading parties. A Metering Advisory Group will be established to support its development.
April 2025: MOSL engaged Artesia Consulting to gather evidence on what the market will need from a solution which informed a Request For Proposals (RFP) which went out in April. Meanwhile, the Outline Business Case was consulted on in March. Responses from a related consultation will inform a Full Business Case to be presented to Panel in June. |
31 March 2026 |
On schedule |
|
P4. Review and refine market eligibility. Define a common eligibility standard to enable clear market eligibility rules to be applied consistently across all wholesaler regions. This will ensure the right customer sites are included in, and able to engage and derive benefits from the market. This will look to build on ongoing work by MOSL/CCW and include consideration of temporary building supplies. |
June 2025: The RWG eligibility group, supported by CCW have highlighted ambiguities in the Water Industry Act (WIA) and Ofwat guidance on eligibility. The RWG Steering Group met and agreed MOSL would present a strawman for Panel review in September prior to engaging a small working group. MOSL will present the output to the User Forum in Q3 25/26. This strawman will include guidance on who should be in the market (based on the CCW flowchart) and how ineligible premises can be removed (based on revised RWG supported guidance). Changes to the codes and WIA are anticipated to enact changes.
April 2025: CCW has created a new flowchart for eligibility guidance and tested it with use cases, aiming for greater consistency across the market. RWG has endorsed this and CCW have presented it to Ofwat. CCW will present findings and recommendations to Panel (with RWG representation). |
31 March 2026 |
On schedule |
|
P5. Review Switching Provisions. Once confidence in the switching service has been encouraged by establishing protections for customers who have moved away from the deemed rate, the customer experience of the switching process should be reviewed, to identify further barriers of required protections for customers. This will help encourage smaller customers to re-negotiate their contracts or switch suppliers to gain better value. |
June 2025: Little change from the Customer Protection Code of Practice (CPCoP) changes noted in the April 2025 update. The Panel noted in their June meeting that the energy sector had considered implementing a same day switching process. The review of the current process could consider whether this was applicable to the business retail market.
April 2025: The April 2025 Customer Protection Code of Practice (CPCoP) introduced: improved obligations on retailers to support customers around blocked switches and requirements to promote the market on bills and websites to increase awareness and engagement. There is also a new primary principle that the code should protect customers, particularly during the switching process. Ofwat is considering if further work is required to resolve switch blocking. |
31 March 2027 |
On schedule |
For more information on how other stakeholders are progressing with their actions, please follow the links below.