Consumers in vulnerable circumstances advisory panel
Consumers in vulnerable circumstances advisory panel
We transport energy to some of the most socially and economically deprived areas of the UK and with the energy sector changing rapidly our promise is that ‘Together we have the energy to transform our communities’ and will ensure that no one is left behind.
Established in 2016, our Consumer's in vulnerable circumstances advisory panel continues to fulfil its valuable role of challenging our performance, setting stretching targets for our activity and helping us identify and respond to emerging issues and trends.
Chaired by our independent chair, Jenny WIllis, the panel is attended by customer experts, or experts in their field who provide advice, guidance and oversight of Electricity North West's social programme and performance and through this contribute towards delivering our Purpose to Transform Our Communities.
As a business we continue to ensure that the needs of consumers in vulnerable circumstances are heard as we plan for the present and the future. Our plan is central to delivering our Purpose and consists of making sure that we have the systems, services and partnerships in place to provide consumers in vulnerable circumstances with protection from the risk of harm during power outages and extra care to help them to build their energy resilience on a sustainable basis.
If you would like to find out more about our Consumer's in vulnerable circumstances advisory panel, please email stakeholderengagement@enwl.co.uk.
Meeting agendas and summaries
Find out about the previous meetings that have taken place, the agendas and papers for each meeting, and a summary.
Terms of reference
Read the terms of reference for this stakeholder advisory panel.
Upcoming meetings
Find out about upcoming scheduled meetings
Meet the Consumers in Vulnerable Circumstances advisory panel Chair, Jenny Willis
Jenny Willis has extensive experience working in research, participation, and community and stakeholder engagement, particularly focussing on the needs of those who find themselves in vulnerable circumstances.
Jenny has worked as a facilitator with Shared Future, initially with local people in the Preston area as part of the Citizen’s Inquiry on Fracking, and in the West Midlands supporting people using mental health services to inform future policy making in their area. Jenny has worked on inquiry processes on responses to climate change with citizens in Leeds, Lancaster, Kendal, Warwick district and the North of Tyne.
Jenny started her career in the international development sector, supporting a network of UK-based organisations working across the world. She later transferred her networking, policy and communication skills to work with grass roots organisations in the UK. These were run by and for disabled people at Shaping Our Lives.
Jenny works with a wide variety of communities on different issues, backgrounds and viewpoints and gets satisfaction from working out how to identify and achieve shared outcomes in a good humoured and practical way.
As a farmer based in Cumbria, Jenny also has a strong interest in the involvement of rural communities in decision making on issues that affect them. Whether specifically related to farming policy or more general issues which impact rural areas.
Having started with a few hens in the back garden 25 years ago, Jenny’s farming interests have developed over the years. She and her family live in Kendal, and have Herdwick, Hebridean and Cotswold sheep which they run on 30 acres nearby at Crook, alongside two fell ponies and a small herd of Golden Guernsey goats.
Jenny has experience of working with rural development projects overseas and on a number of projects including with the Environment Agency on water management issues and communicating flood risk, with Scottish Power Energy Networks on involving different sectors in developing distribution networks, and with Co-operatives UK to support the development of community renewable energy generation co-ops.
