Consumers in vulnerable circumstances Terms of reference

1. Remit and purpose

The Consumer Vulnerability Advisory Panel is made up of representatives of a wide range of organisations operating to support people and communities within ENWL’s licence area across the North West. The Panel exists to optimise outcomes for people in vulnerable circumstances by harnessing the benefits of close partnership working. ENWL’s focus is primarily on reducing the impact of power cuts (planned or unplanned), supporting people in fuel poverty, and ensuring those in vulnerable circumstances are not ‘left behind’ as the energy system changes in the transition to net zero. External stakeholders working at grass roots level in service delivery, and those working in a strategic capacity complement the expertise and experience within ENWL to identify need and address jointly determined priorities.

ENWL is committed to supporting its partners in their work, and greatly values the contributions partners make to support the goals and commitments of ENWL in relation to the communities it serves.

There are two groups within the panel - delivery and strategic - to ensure focus on both current and future needs of customers and communities within the remit of ENWL. Both groups have played an important part in supporting the development of ENWL’s ‘Electricity Users in Vulnerable Circumstances Strategy for the ED2 regulatory period from 2023 – 2028 and will monitor and support progress as identified in the strategy, as well as supporting efforts within the remainder of the current ED1 price planning period to 2023.

2. Practicalities

• Electricity North West will convene the panel and arrange meeting facilities – either online or in person as agreed with the delivery and strategic groups
• There is an expectation of around six online meetings per group per year (usually around 2 hours long), and one longer in-person meeting held jointly to allow for informal networking as well as covering the agreed agenda. Occasionally online meetings will also be held jointly between the Delivery and Strategic Groups depending on the topic under consideration.
• All meetings will be notified in advance, with reports issued and actions tracked. Pre-reading may be sent to panel members ahead of the meeting and these should be reviewed ahead of the panel meeting
• The panel (and the respective groups) have an Independent Chair. The chair works with Electricity North West to set the agenda for meetings and has an overview of follow up. They can be contacted directly at any time by members of the Panel.
• The Independent Chair also represents the full Advisory Panel on ENWL’s Chief Executive Panel and sits as a member of the Ofgem required ENWL Customer Engagement Group which has a scrutiny role in relation to stakeholder and consumer engagement.

3. Membership

Panel member organisations can have members in both the Delivery and Strategic groups, usually but not always represented by different members of staff. Membership of each group will be reviewed at least annually to ensure representation is effective, particularly in terms of priority areas and groups.
All panel members will have a commitment to working in partnership with ENWL and other panel members, using their experience, knowledge and contacts for the benefit of individuals and communities across the North West.

The panel is made up of representatives who work in a service delivery capacity for organisations who are providing direct support to individuals and communities. This includes those working with people with specific needs or in a specific locality through to those who work more generally with any member of the public across the whole region.
A current list of members can be found at the end of this document. These include organisations currently directly funded by Electricity North West, as well as those funded in the past or who may be funded in the future.

4. Objectives and ways of working

The overall objective of the Panel is for experience, expertise, strategic thinking and delivery capacity to be shared between panel members and Electricity North West to enable the optimum support to be offered to people in vulnerable circumstances across the ENWL license area.

The focus of the Consumer Vulnerability Advisory Panel is to work with Electricity North West to:
- Ensure ENWL is in the optimum position to provide targeted assistance in the event of a power cut (planned or unplanned)
- Work with individuals and communities to increase resilience and be prepared for unplanned power cuts
- Take practical steps to alleviate fuel poverty within the North West
- Provide two-way communication about relevant aspects of the transition to net zero and ensure that this transition is inclusive. This might relate to uptake of low carbon technology, implementation of energy efficiency measures and relevant potential behavioural changes.
- Maximise partnership working to ensure all relevant aspects of the ED2 business plan can be delivered
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The group is expected to achieve these objectives by:
• Sharing best practice among partner organisations and between partner organisations and Electricity North West
• Provide insight into how stakeholders view Electricity North West’s role in ‘serving our customers and transforming our communities’
• Jointly identify existing or potential barriers to the achievement of the group’s objectives and identify ways to work to overcome these
• Considering Electricity North West’s effective use of data to ensure practical and timely sharing of information to ensure awareness of who and where vulnerable customers are, including up-to-date information about them and their needs. This will primarily be through work on the Priority Services Register.
• Considering any other relevant issues that the panel identify as a priority now or in the future

5. Review

The work of the Consumer Vulnerability Panel, including the delivery and strategic groups within it, will be regularly reviewed by:
• Panel Members
• ENWL’s Executive Team
• ENWL’s Stakeholder Engagement Team
• The Independent Chair, including reporting at the Chief Executive Panel and Customer Engagement Group

Panel members are encouraged to submit feedback at any time, either to ENWL or to the Independent Chair, and a regular annual survey will be carried out anonymously to ensure the panel is of continued benefit to both ENWL and the wider panel membership.