Subscribe to this blog's feedShock has been expressed at the news that Jonathan Hodgkin, director of network regulation at water regulator Ofwat, is to replace Richard Ackroyd as director of regulation and capital investment at Yorkshire Water. Ackroyd last week took up the chief executive's role at Scottish Water, replacing Jon Hargreaves who took early retirement last December after four hectic years at the helm of Scotland's publicly-owned water undertaker.
Hodgkin's move from gamekeeper to poacher follows in the footsteps of Philip Davies, the former director of markets at energy regulator Ofgem, who moved to become director of regulatory affairs at Centrica last month. His switch came just weeks before Ofgem announced its probe into alleged price fixing by the UK's big six energy retailers, including Centrica's British Gas. Ofwat is of course about to announce the outcome of its review of water competition, and while Hodgkin wasn't running that enquiry, he must have overheard some sensitive details in the odd watercooler conversation.
There are strict rules governing moves by former government ministers into the private sector, especially where there are potential conflicts of interest - shouldn't the same apply to sector regulators?
