Latest news with #regulator
Bloomberg
2 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
UK's Ofwat Set for Supervisory Role in Regulatory Overhaul
The UK water regulator needs to take a more supervisory role akin to the banking sector in order to help stem the industry's worst crisis in decades. Ofwat currently relies heavily on 'comparability' — or benchmarking water companies against one another to assess efficiency and justify customer bills. A more supervisory approach would allow the regulator to be more reactive and possibly intervene earlier when issues arise, according to interim findings from the Independent Water Commission published on Tuesday.
The Independent
3 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Inquiry launched into appointment of football regulator chairman
The man set to lead the new football regulator faces an inquiry into his appointment following accusations of 'cronyism' from the Conservatives. David Kogan, a media rights expert, was named as the Government's preferred candidate to chair the Independent Football Regulator in April, and his appointment was endorsed by a cross-party committee of MPs last month. But the revelation that he had donated money to both Sir Keir Starmer and Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy – as well as other Labour figures – drew complaints from the Conservatives and calls for the commissioner for public appointments to investigate. In a letter to the permanent secretary at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, commissioner Sir William Shawcross said he had carried out a series of 'spot checks' and now believed a full inquiry into Mr Kogan's appointment was 'necessary'. Sir William's inquiry will look into whether the rules on public appointments were followed, and is likely to involve interviews with both Mr Kogan and Ms Nandy. Mr Kogan was originally approached about the football regulator job by the Conservatives while they were still in office, and has advised the Premier League, EFL and other leagues on broadcast rights. He has also donated thousands of pounds to Labour MPs and candidates in recent years, and sat on the board of Labour news website LabourList. During his pre-appointment hearing with the Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee – which later backed his appointment – he revealed he had also donated 'very small sums' to Sir Keir and Ms Nandy's leadership campaigns in 2020. Those donations had not previously been revealed as they were below the threshold for public declaration. A week later, Ms Nandy wrote to the committee to inform MPs that she had stepped back from making the final decision on whether to appoint Mr Kogan, delegating the choice to sport minister Stephanie Peacock. Stuart Andrew, the Conservative shadow culture secretary, said Mr Kogan's appointment 'bears all the hallmarks of yet more Labour cronyism', adding Ms Nandy's decision to step back 'highlights just how compromised this selection has become'. He said: 'Number 10 must now come clean about the involvement of the Downing Street appointments unit and special advisers in promoting David Kogan as the preferred candidate. 'The public has a right to know whether this was a fair and impartial process, or yet another case of political patronage disguised as due diligence.' Mr Kogan did not comment on the launch of the inquiry.
BBC News
3 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Government's football regulator chair choice faces inquiry
The government's proposed choice of David Kogan as chair of English football's new independent regulator faces a "full inquiry" by the Commissioner for Public Shawcross has written to the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), saying the move was "necessary" after "an initial assessment of this case, informed by spot checks".He added Kogan and the Secretary of State Lisa Nandy are likely to be interviewed, and his inquiry would ensure the selection "was made in accordance with the Governance Code on Public Appointments".Kogan revealed last month he had contributed money to Nandy's Labour leadership campaign in 2020, along with that of the Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. In April, Nandy said the 68-year-old sports media rights executive was the "outstanding candidate" to fill the position, despite not being on the original three-person has now removed herself from the final decision, delegating responsibility to the Sports month, Kogan told MPs on the Culture, Media and Sport Committee (CMS) during a pre-appointment hearing that he was being "utterly transparent" by declaring his committee endorsed Kogan, but said he must work to "reassure the football community that he will act impartially and in a politically neutral way". Committee chair Dame Caroline Dinenage warned that Kogan's "past donations to the Labour Party will inevitably leave him open to charges of political bias in a job where independence is paramount".Kogan said he had donated "very small sums" to the campaigns, as well as thousands of pounds to Labour MPs and candidates in recent years, but had "total personal independence from all of them" and pledged "total political impartiality" if appointed.A DCMS spokesperson said: "We have received the letter from the Commissioner for Public Appointments and we look forward to co-operating fully with his office."The appointment is in the process of being ratified in the usual way."Kogan declined to has also emerged that Nandy has written to the CMS Committee and told them: "I heard clearly the Committee's comments regarding David's transparency and candour regarding previous political donations that he had made and the need for him to take concrete steps to avoid the perception of any bias or lack of independence from government."As a first step to avoid any risk of this, I am writing to inform you that I have delegated the final decision on the chair's appointment to the Minister for Sport."Conservative shadow sports minister Louie French has previously said the failure to disclose the donations when first put forward for the role was "a clear breach of the governance code on public appointments".A spokesman for the Prime Minister added Kogan had been appointed through a "fair and open competition", and the BBC has been told his donations were below the threshold that requires Football Governance Bill, which is currently passing through Parliament after being reintroduced by the Labour government in October, will establish a first independent regulator for the professional men's game in legislation will hand power to a body independent from government and football authorities to oversee clubs in England's top five - a former BBC journalist who also previously advised the Premier League, EFL and other leagues on broadcast rights - said he wants to put "fans at the heart of the regulator" and help the football pyramid.
RNZ News
3 days ago
- Business
- RNZ News
Brooke van Velden shifts WorkSafe's focus from enforcement to advice
Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone The government is shifting its work and safety regulator's priorities from enforcement to advice, saying this will help address concerns about underfunding and a "culture of fear". First steps include updating more than 50 guidance documents and launching the hotline - announced in March - for reporting excessive road cones . The restructure goes much deeper than that, though, with Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden issuing a new letter of expectations, rearranging the regulator's finances and redefining its main purpose in legislation. The government has cut $2.2 million from the agency's funding since 2023 - a 1.6 percent cut from $141.1m to $138.9m - with heightened inflation over that time further increasing costs. The government also set aside $7m for restructuring the regulator - paid for out of the Health and Safety at Work levy - this year's Budget confirming that "while WorkSafe progressed with its proposed restructure, this funding was not ultimately required". About 124 permanent roles have been cut since 2023 - from 724 to 600, a more than 17 percent trim - although a spokesperson said the agency was now approved for 675 staff and was recruiting for those roles, including new inspectors. Van Velden said she expected the regulator to review its enforcement and prosecution decision-making to focus on "clear breaches and causation", and being even handed. This would include "strengthening its approach to worker breaches of duty". "I've been hearing there is a real culture of fear of people around WorkSafe, and I want people to feel like if they ask for help they will get that help - and so for any business or any worker who wants to know what it is that they should be doing to keep their workers safe, they will know where to go." She denied that this could mean slowing down the rate of prosecutions, however. "No, prosecutions will still remain. I think it's important that we do have enforcement, but we do need to balance that correctly with the upfront guidance." The agency would now have a stronger focus on critical risk and providing consistent, practical advice and guidance for employers to comply with. Van Velden also set out expectations for greater use of codes of conduct. While WorkSafe would continue to work on these, industries would now be invited to draft their own for approval by the minister, making up the majority of new codes in future. "A culture where the regulator is feared for its punitive actions rather than appreciated for its ability to provide clear and consistent guidance is not conducive to positive outcomes in the workplace," she said. WorkSafe has been told to shift its focus from enforcement to advice. Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver Her proposal taken to Cabinet said the changes would shift WorkSafe "from an enforcement agency to one that engages early and well to support businesses and individuals to manage their risks". "I want to see a shift from a regulator that has a safety at all cost mentality, to a regulator that focusses on helping duty-holders do what is proportionate to the risks, including rooting out over-compliance." To support this and "increase fiscal transparency", the regulator's finances would be split into four categories: WorkSafe's other functions identified in the law would become secondary, with Van Velden saying this would help it "articulate the cost and effectiveness of its activities". The moves were prompted in part by feedback from businesses, collected during a series of roadshow meetings in 11 towns and cities and over 1000 submissions provided in response to a discussion document consulted on over five months. "For too long, businesses and employers have asked for more guidance and help from WorkSafe on how to comply with health and safety legislation, only to be told it's not WorkSafe's job," van Velden said. "WorkSafe has started slashing outdated guidance documents from its website and will be updating guidance where necessary. Fifty documents have already been removed and more will follow. These documents were identified as being no longer relevant, nor reflecting current practice and technology, or containing content that is covered by other more up-to-date guidance." Her Cabinet paper stated the changes would also "help address concerns heard during the consultation that WorkSafe may be underfunded" by making clearer where its resouces were being spent. She confirmed the changes would not come with any new funding. "No, there won't be any new funding. I've heard from people who have suggested there does need to be new funding, and I disagree ... WorkSafe has been funded well, but it's very difficult to find where exactly that money is going within WorkSafe," she told RNZ. "It's been very clear over a number of reviews into WorkSafe over the years that they have not been structuring their appropriation correctly. They got into a very big deficit. They've now pulled themselves out of that deficit and are in surplus. But there are still many, many questions as to, where are they spending that money." WorkSafe says it's concentrating on the sectors where the most serious harm occurs - agriculture, forestry, construction and manufacturing. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon Her letter to the board set out an expectation the regulator would foster the use of Approved Codes of Practice. WorkSafe would need to provide advice to industries on how to develop and submit these for ministerial approval, while also conducting its own and starting new ones in industries "where there is no clear industry body representation". "While most future ACOPS will be industry-led, I still expect WorkSafe to develop ACOPs where appropriate." WorkSafe would also be expected to strengthen its oversight of other regulators, including "comprehensive monitoring of the third parties framework and addressing stakeholder concerns about inconsistent interpretations by third party certifiers". She expected cultural change to be reflected in its new statement of intent due out in October. Legislative change would be included in a Health and Safety at Work Reform Bill to be introduced later this year. In a statement, a WorkSafe spokesperson said it was working closely with the government on the changes. "We are well placed to deliver on the minister's expectations, via our new strategy and new leadership. WorkSafe is concentrating on the sectors where the most serious harm occurs - agriculture, forestry, construction and manufacturing - and on well-known causes of harm such as vehicles, machinery, working at height and harmful exposures. "Our Statement of Performance Expectations, due out in the coming weeks, will outline our strategic direction, budget, activities, and performance indicators for the 2025-26 year. Our most recent Impacts and Effectiveness Monitor report found 75 percent of businesses surveyed identified health and safety improvements due to their interactions with WorkSafe." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Ministers to kick off hunt for successor to Ofcom chair Lord Grade
Ministers are to kick off the hunt for a new chair of the communications regulator as Lord Grade of Yarmouth prepares to bow out after a single term at the helm. Sky News has learnt that the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) - which now leads oversight of Ofcom in Whitehall - is drawing up proposals to launch a recruitment process in the coming months. Lord Grade, the veteran broadcast executive who held senior posts at the BBC, ITV and Channel 4, has served as Ofcom chair since May 2022. His four-year term is not due to end for another 11 months, and there was no suggestion this weekend that he would leave the role ahead of that point. Insiders said, however, that there was little prospect of him seeking to be reappointed for a second term in the job. The now non-affiliated peer's appointment to the post in 2022 came after a controversial recruitment process and was signed off by Nadine Dorries, the then Tory culture secretary. Responsibility for Ofcom board appointments has switched since then from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Peter Kyle, the science secretary, authorised the recruitment of Tamara Ingram, an advertising industry stalwart, as Ofcom's deputy chair, last November. Ofcom takes on online harms The search for a new Ofcom chair will come after a significant extension of its remit to encompass areas such as online harms. Both DCMS, which has responsibility for the media industry, and the Department for Business and Trade also have substantial engagement with Ofcom. As well as a role in appointing directors to the board of state-owned Channel 4, which is hunting both a chair and chief executive, Ofcom regulates companies such as Royal Mail, as well as the BBC. This week, the watchdog said it was pursuing action against the formerly publicly owned postal services company over its failure to hit statutory delivery targets. Ofcom also regulates the UK telecoms industry, making it one of the largest economic regulators in Britain. Data centres may be next The body may also be handed regulatory oversight of the fast-growing data centre industry. One of the tasks of Lord Grade's successor is likely to be long-term executive leadership succession planning. Dame Melanie Dawes, Ofcom's chief executive, has held the role since 2020, although there is no indication that she intends to step down in the short term. It was unclear this weekend whether any of Ofcom's existing board members might seek to take over from Lord Grade. Its slate of non-executive directors includes recently appointed Lord Allan of Hallam, a former MP, and Ben Verwaayen, the former BT Group chief executive. Mr Verwaayen is due to step down from the Ofcom board at the end of the year. The hunt for Ofcom's next chair will come amid a push led by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Chancellor Rachel Reeves to shake up Britain's economic regulators as they seek ways to remove red tape from the private sector. DSIT has been contacted for comment, while Ofcom declined to comment.
