The Utility Regulator has announced that it has become the first regulator in the UK to partner with numbers-first communications organisation, Plain Numbers.
The partnership will see the Utility Regulator work to ensure that its communications are easily accessible to all Northern Ireland’s consumers of electricity, gas and water.
Low numeracy levels are a recognised vulnerability that affects many adults in the UK, and over the next three years, the Utility Regulator will work with Plain Numbers to enhance its communications and promote good practice across the bodies that it regulates.
Following completion of training, six of the organisation’s staff have become the first ever Plain Numbers Practitioners to be employed by a regulator.
Ben Perkins, Director of Partnerships and Services at Plain Numbers says, “Clear communication from regulators and the companies they oversee is essential. It gives people the best chance of making informed decisions about energy, water and other key services.
“Staff at the Utility Regulator are learning how to apply the Plain Numbers Method to ensure numbers and key information are easy to understand.”
The Plain Numbers Method is a practical, evidence-based approach that helps practitioners to communicate numbers in a meaningful, customer-friendly way.
Michael Legg, Regulatory Analyst at the Utility Regulator, is one of the organisation’s first Plain Numbers Practitioners.
He notes, “Protecting the short and long-term interests of consumers of electricity, gas and water lies at the very heart of our work here at the Utility Regulator.
“My role within the Consumer Protection team has given me an insight into the importance of making our information fully accessible to all consumers, especially those in vulnerable circumstances.
“We are proud to partner with an organisation that is focused on protecting consumers and I am delighted to have become a Plain Numbers Practitioner.
“I look forward to harnessing the knowledge that we have gained, to promote good practice and ensure that our communications can be easily understood by all Northern Ireland’s energy and water consumers.”
More Utility Regulator staff are set to undergo training by Plain Numbers as the partnership continues.