Consumer Forum
The Consumer Forum brings together the CEOs of the economic regulators, plus the FCA and the CMA, with the relevant ministers from their respective sponsor departments. It aims to enhance collaboration and coordination between government and regulators.
Terms of Reference
The creation of the Consumer Forum, chaired by the Minister for Consumers and Corporate Responsibility, was announced in the government’s Modernising Consumer Markets green paper.
As the green paper set out, government and regulators must work together to improve consumer outcomes. Working together does not mean undermining regulatory independence. Instead it recognises that many of the challenges facing regulated sectors must be tackled by a combination of government and regulator action.
The Consumer Forum brings together government departments, independent economic regulators and competition authorities - see full list of members. It will meet approximately quarterly.
It will strengthen how these organisations collectively interact to address issues that arise across sectors and where both government and regulators could act.
It will remain connected to stakeholders, in particular to consumer organisations with an interest in outcomes in regulated sectors.
The Forum’s initial priority areas are:
- the loyalty penalty and ensuring action in response to the CMA’s report
- vulnerable consumers, and developing a framework for when government and regulators should act to help
- data portability and its potential to improve consumer outcomes
The Consumer Forum will:
- provide a mechanism for coordinating government and regulator action to improve outcomes for consumers in the energy, financial services, telecoms, water, rail and aviation sectors
- identify current and emerging problems in these sectors, and discuss actions to tackle them, with a particular focus on cross-cutting matters
- drive progress in tackling common consumer matters across regulated sectors
- promote government–regulator interactions and knowledge sharing
- encourage government and regulators to look for new ways of operating, as sectors innovate and technology advances
How stakeholders can interact with the Forum
Stakeholders including consumer groups can make a valuable contribution to the work of the Forum. Interested stakeholders should contact the Forum’s secretariat: consumer.forum@beis.gov.uk.
Membership
| Government department | Representatives |
|---|---|
| BEIS | Minister for Small Business, Consumers, and Corporate Responsibility (chair) |
| BEIS | Minister of State for Energy and Clean Growth |
| HM Treasury | Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury |
| HM Treasury | Economic Secretary to the Treasury |
| DEFRA | Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the Environment |
| DCMS | Minister for Digital and the Creative Industries |
| Department for Transport | Minister of State for Transport |
| Department for Transport | Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport |
| Regulator | Representative |
|---|---|
| Ofgem | CEO |
| CMA | CEO |
| FCA | CEO |
| Ofwat | CEO |
| Ofcom | CEO |
| ORR | CEO |
| CAA | CEO |