New consumer organisation lacks focus - Mark Williams (Clwyd West Liberal Democrats)

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Clwyd West Liberal Democrats <info@libdems.org.uk>

New consumer organisation lacks focus - Mark Williams

September 30, 2008 12:00 AM
Originally published by Welsh Liberal Democrats

Speaking ahead of the merger of the Welsh Consumer Council, Postwatch Wales and Energywatch Wales, Ceredigion's Welsh Liberal Democrat MP Mark Williams has today warned that the new body will struggle to retain expertise in individual areas.

The Government has scrapped the three existing bodies and replaced them with a new organisation, called Consumer Focus Wales, which comes into being tomorrow and will have responsibility for all of the areas previously encompassed by the Welsh Consumer Council, Postwatch Wales and Energywatch Wales. However according to a recent report in the Observer, Enerygywatch campaigns director Adam Scorer has estimated that around a third of the cases EnergyÂwatch deals with each year will not be dealt with because they are too complicated for Consumer Direct, but inappropriate for Consumer Focus or the ombudsman. Commenting, Mark Williams said: "It is ironic that the new body has been named Consumer Focus, as to me it is the lack of focus that this new organisation will have that is deeply worrying. "Energywatch in particular deals with the complaints of many people who have been short-changed by the energy companies and ahead of a winter in which fuel bills are expected to cause serious problems for families, the timing of this move is spectacularly crass. "In the extensive publicity material for the new body there is plenty of talk about streamlining and reorganisation, but precious little on how ordinary consumers can be helped. "I believe that this is a step backwards, and I am worried that many will not get the same support that they would have done when these bodies were separate entities."