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. |
February 2026: The Strategic Panel will consider developing a draft report in April 2026 and will publish its annual report on the Roadmap to a Flourishing Market in May 2026.
October 2025: An interim report on the progress towards a flourishing market was presented to the Strategic Panel in August. The report has been updated in the areas of switch rates, customer satisfaction and customer awareness, post publication of Ofwat's Business retail market update 2024-25 and the Ofwat/ CCW Business Customer Insight Survey 2025.
August 2025: An update on progress against Roadmap actions and market indicators was presented at the June 2025 Strategic Panel meeting. An external facing progress report will be published on the MOSL website ahead of the Strategic Panel's Open Forum on 19 September.
|
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. |
March 2026: The debate on open data is ongoing, with MOSL presenting an update at SP21 in March.
October 2025: At its 3 September meeting, the Strategic Panel agreed next steps, including defining data-sharing prerequisites, governance and the need for a business case (SP19a_05). MOSL is progressing open data use cases, supported by code changes CPM061/CPW158 and CPM060/CPW156.
August 2025: MOSL will present its recommended approach to Open Data at the 3 September Strategic Panel meeting, with the Strategic Panel to then share their view at their Open Forum on 19 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. |
March 2026: This action was completed via stakeholder engagement and delivery of the Smart Meter Read Hub. Phase 2 requirements are confirmed, with Hub functionality demonstrated at the Contract Managers’ Planning Update. MOSL will now draft Market Code and legal changes. The final Interim User Agreement will be published w/c 9 March, ahead of the Phase 1 pilot launch in April.
October 2025: The delivery programme, established under MOSL governance with CGI as delivery partner, is progressing in line with the Strategic Panel’s approved plan. A Steering Group and engagement framework with trading parties, Ofwat, Defra, and CCW are in place. Phase 1 of the Smart Meter Read Hub (SMRH) runs until summer 2026 and will focus on system development, requirements gathering, testing and initial implementation.
August 2025: Strategic Panel Roadmap Subset has marked this as "Delivered and under review". Following market consultation, the Smart Meter Read Hub has been designed, funded and is currently being built. See MOSL's website for more details.
|
31 March 2026 |
Delivered and under review |
|
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. |
February 2026: CCW has developed a strong case on missing eligible premises, proposing a flow-chart approach supported by customer impact statements, with engagement between stakeholders. Separately, MOSL is addressing ineligible premises. Following wholesaler concerns, this has moved to the Strategic Data Programme Data Assurance Group, with delivery targeted for end March 2026.
October 2026: MOSL and CCW will present options to clarify eligibility definitions and improve processes for removing ineligible premises from the market at the November User Forum. The proposals include new CMOS transactions, updated code definitions and guidance and a dispute resolution process aligned with the Customer Protection Code of Practice.
August 2025: Four key milestones have been idenified for this project, with the first milestone- presentation to User Forum-due in November. The subsequent three milestones are scheduled for 2026, with the code changes to go live in October 2026.
|
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. |
February 2026: No change since October update.
October 2025: Ofwat’s Business Retail Market Update 2024-25 shows continued retailer switching in the business retail market, though at a slightly lower rate than last year. Customer research indicates most switchers find the process straightforward, but satisfaction and perceived benefits have declined compared to 2020. These findings will inform the Panel’s upcoming review.
August 2025: The Strategic Panel was initally concerned that customers moving from the deemed rate to a bespoke tariff would be unable to return if they found that this was not to their advantage. As this is not the case, the Panel will now shift its focus to customer awareness and ensuring an optimum experience. |
31 March 2027 |
On schedule |
The table above includes the most recent three updates for each action. If you would like to view a full list of past updates please contact panel.secretariat@mosl.co.uk. For more information on how other stakeholders are progressing with their actions, please follow the links below.