Title

Date

Start Time

Duration

Fireside chat - Reorganising for Equity: Council Tax Reduction and Local Government Reorganisation (test)

4/4/2025

9:30am BST

1.5 hours

Protecting vulnerable consumers in the finance sector The finance sector plays a critical role in people’s lives; however, with increasing economic pressures, more consumers are becoming vulnerable and requiring additional support and protection.

Regulators like the FCA have tightened expectations around how businesses identify, support and engage with vulnerable customers. Failure to comply can result in reputational damage, regulatory penalties and customer hardship. But how can organisations balance compliance with commercial priorities while delivering fair outcomes for consumers?

Join industry experts as we explore best practices, regulatory expectations and practical strategies for businesses to proactively identify and protect vulnerable consumers. Gain actionable insights on:

- The latest regulatory landscape at the FCA
- Effective strategies for identifying and supporting vulnerable customers
- Case studies showcasing successful industry approaches
- How technology and data can enhance consumer protection

Join this webinar to learn how to strengthen your compliance strategy, improve customer engagement and safeguard both consumers and your organisation’s reputation.

Register now to stay ahead of regulatory expectations and build a more consumer focused business.

30/4/2025

10:30am BST

1.3 hours

Harnessing data for regional impact: empowering local leaders to drive change Devolution is one of the core missions of the new government, promising a strong focus on giving local areas more control over services. To tackle economic inactivity, and with many people across the UK needing support, it’s vital that local authorities deliver effective, targeted interventions. The success of tailored, region-specific approaches depends on how well local areas can harness data to drive change.

Local organisations, from Mayoral Combined Authorities to county councils, need to deliver these crucial services. Accessing and using the data insights required to implement efficient and effective programmes is a challenge and, without localised data, decision making can become less accurate. This leads to inefficient resource allocation and missed opportunities to reach those who need help the most.

Data analysis offers the key to overcoming these challenges. By harnessing the power of local data, authorities can get the accurate insights they need to target support where it will be most effective. With the right insights, local areas can design and deliver services that are more tailored, timely and impactful, ensuring the right residents get the right support at the right time.

Proven results from current data led initiatives already show the transformative potential of this approach.

Join this webinar to hear from guest speakers who have successfully implemented data driven campaigns. They will showcase real world examples of how they have come together to achieve measurable outcomes.

We’ll also explore how these data insights can be applied to address key issues like economic inactivity, youth unemployment and social isolation to deliver lasting change across regions.

21/5/2025

10:30am BST

1.3 hours

Anglian Water uses data to improve customer journeys and increase the take up of social tariffs

The Better Off Calculator is an essential tool to navigate customers through the cost of living crisis. Being able to provide a seamless ‘apply once’ service via the calculator on gov.uk makes life easier for our customers and helps them access benefits they might not have realised they were entitled to.

The impact of the cost of living crisis on struggling households

With the cost of living crisis hitting people’s finances at an unprecedented level, many utility companies are looking to find ways to support customers who are struggling financially.

Anglian Water has been proactive in their approach to customers in financial hardship. It is the largest water and water recycling company in England and Wales by geographic area, supplying water and water recycling services to almost seven million people in the East of England.

The technological innovations produced by working with Policy in Practice, has helped Anglian Water to identify and reach out to those in-need households. Making the application for social tariffs straightforward is key for people facing financial difficulties.

Anglian Water’s partnerships provide support to financially vulnerable customers

One step in Anglian Water’s innovative journey has been their partnership with Northumbrian Water. The two companies have overlapping water areas in Essex and Suffolk. Northumbrian Water carries out the water provision and Anglian Water carries out the sewerage services. Both organisations offer their own social tariffs in addition to the national WaterSure scheme.

Previously, an eligible customer had to contact both Anglian Water and Northumbrian Water and complete similar yet separate applications to both companies to change their water and sewerage tariffs.

A new API built by Policy in Practice means that customers only need to apply to one organisation and, with consent, their submitted data will be shared with the other organisation. As a result both the customer’s sewerage and water bills will automatically be on the right tariff without the customer needing to duplicate applications, improving the experience for customers and customer service teams in both organisations alike.

Before, two customer advisors would need to have the same conversation with the same customer but now only one advisor does in order to apply the tariff, freeing up time for each customer service team.

The new joint approach yields other customer benefits too. Anglian has brought benefit eligibility checks in house to improve the processing time. The new joint process to apply for social tariffs once means that Northumbrian Water’s customers will also get a benefit eligibility check too.

This is an innovative approach to joint working between water companies which puts the customer at the forefront and removes friction in the customer journey. It’s a cost effective approach, freeing up valuable time for advisors, and is easily replicable by other organisations.

‘Apply once’ process helps customers quickly access support

Another step Anglian Water has taken to improve the application process for social tariffs is the creation of its ‘apply once’ process via the Better Off Calculator on the GOV.UK website.

This new process allows a Better Off Calculator user on GOV.UK to seamlessly apply directly to Anglian Water’s social tariff scheme at the same time as completing a benefits check, removing the need to answer more application questions on the Anglian Water website. The integrated journey can be completed by customers with two clicks and only a few extra questions within the Better Off Calculator.

The feature is available to all Better Off Calculator users who enter a postcode that falls within an Anglian Water area. These users will see the option to apply for a social tariff and give their consent to share their data. The calculator automatically calculates their eligibility for a social tariff and tells Anglian Water which tariff they should get. Anglian Water then updates their billing system instantly.

The process is seamless, saving customers time and signing them up to an appropriate tariff with no extra paperwork. This works for both new and existing customers and gives support to everyone in an Anglian Water region.

Anglian Water is ahead of the curve in their sector, having built bringing environmental and social prosperity to the local area into the organisation’s purpose.

They are demonstrating how technology and data can be successfully implemented to benefit both the customer and the organisation. Putting the welfare of customers, particularly those struggling financially, at the heart of their developmental decisions highlights Anglian Water’s commitment to using data for good.