The CEG met on 2 October at NGN’s headquarters at Thorpe Park on the outskirts of Leeds.
The timing of the meeting coincided with some significant political statements and events which could impact the business including the PM’s announcements about Net Zero; Treasury concerns about infrastructure costs; and the Labour party refining its messages about energy futures and green industries.
No decision on NGN’s submission to run 100% hydrogen trial in Redcar is expected until December but the CEG agreed to keep a watching brief and will be reviewing the customer proposition and communications with residents and businesses during the run up to a decision.
Following up the group’s engagement with the Innovation leads at NGN we also agreed to continue to monitor stakeholder engagement in the Low Thornley site where a research and innovation centre is being developed.
We had a strong focus on winter preparedness and how NGN was proposing to provide extra resources and hep during the cold months ahead – particularly to customers in the most vulnerable situations. Whilst extra help is available from NGN over and above the regulatory requirements, we urged the company to make the customer journey to receive this help as clear as possible. We were encouraged by efforts to develop new partnerships to deliver additional support and a review the value for money methodology and customer outcomes.
Looking ahead we explored what customers had been telling NGN about customer service levels – which are continuing to receive high scores. This is something for deeper consideration as incentives for customer service standards are reviewed for the next price control period.
Another key topic for this meeting was NGN’s initial governance and assurance strategy for RIIO-3 business planning. It is envisaged that the CEG will continue to play an important role within this strategy but discussions until a decision on the specific requirements are made by Ofgem – expected in the New Year.
We recognise NGN’s ambition to be a leader in its field and encourage the leadership team to consider what this would mean in terms of embedding excellent customer service standards and delivering stakeholder priorities.