Why do governments use agencies in gas and electricity?

Hancock's blog

English - December 22, 2021 23:00 - 9 minutes - 8.52 MB
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Previous Episode: The difference between an electricity regulator and the Soviet Army

Next Episode: The one about a foreign utility investor and the UK government

I’m talking to Tim Tutton who was in the mainstream of UK electricity and gas market reform from the late 1980s, including eight years as Director of Regulation at National Grid.

Tim wrote a stimulating paper Does Ofgem have a future? for the economic consultancy Oxera in May this year. It’s a provocative challenge and I thought it would be fun to invite him onto the podcast to explore the themes in it – both his specific observations about the UK and the general issues they raise about governments and their agencies in our industry.

Last week, Tim explained the change in the relationship between the UK government and its regulator and how elements of this change remind him of Russia in 1918. This week he considers what an ideal relationship between a government and its regulator might look like.