Background and Overview The (new) National Consumer Council
7.The Act establishes a “new” National Consumer Council (“the Council”). The Council will initially replace energywatch, Postwatch and the existing National Consumer Council. The Act provides for the abolition of energywatch and Postwatch and enables their assets and liabilities, and those of the existing National Consumer Council, to be transferred to the Council. The existing National Consumer Council will be dissolved under the Companies Acts. The Act also contains a power to dissolve the Consumer Council for Water(4) and transfer its functions, assets and liabilities to the new body established by the Act.
8.The Consumer Panel established by the Financial Services Authority(5) (“the Financial Services Consumer Panel”) and the Consumer Panel established by the Office of Communications(6) (“the OFCOM Consumer Panel”) will be left unchanged, reflecting their particular “regulator-facing” role (i.e. provision of advice to regulators on the consumer interest). The Act provides for a system of cross-appointments seeking to ensure a joined-up approach between the panels and the Council.
9.This Council will have three core functions:
	the representative function,
	the research function, and
	the information function –.