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SIMON LESS ASSOCIATES helps clients:
develop effective strategies to influence - and respond to - government and regulators
develop credible public policy options and positions, assessing how options would:
interact with markets, politics and regulation
impact client goals, consumers and businesses
design detailed and workable policy and regulatory frameworks, testing through research, analysis, economic assessment, stakeholder interviews and modelling
draft persuasive public reports and consultation responses, and engage effectively with government and regulators
fill internal resource gaps and manage teams on an interim basis
The following are examples of Simon's work with a range of organisations
Simon led a range of policy projects shaping Which?'s positions and campaigns, including development of two super-complaints on:
Authorised Push Payment fraud, which led the Payment System Regulator to start a programme of work that ultimately implemented the super-complaint's recommendation of bank liability for APP scams, and
rail delay compensation, which led the Office of Rail and Road to require better information for passengers and improved claims processes.
Other policy projects focused on energy companies' treatment of customers, home-selling, train ticket retailing, consumer compensation, consumer voice, the financial advice market, legal services competition and rail regulation.
Simon provided analysis and advice for John Lewis to support their public affairs engagement with the government. This included policy advice on options for business rates reforms and detailed policy design of a tax incentive for indirectly employee-owned companies, which led to the Treasury implementing the proposed tax relief.
Simon undertook a range of consulting engagements with the Payment Systems Regulator - delivering its first regulatory policy statement at launch, and progressing major policy projects including tackling Authorised Push Payment fraud (reports here and here); the PSR Panel's Digital Payments Initiative on inclusive payments (reports here and here); unlocking Open Banking payments; and supervising Pay.UK's delivery of payments infrastructure renewal.
Simon subsequently took an employed role at the PSR, building and leading the PSR's strategy function.
Simon led the Treasury team advising ministers on policy and regulation across the energy, telecoms, water, broadcasting and airports sectors, and on competition policy - managing the Treasury's relationships at a senior level with regulators and competition authorities, the energy department and regulated firms.
He developed and led the Treasury team that undertook strategic policy analysis on public services spending and reform - including overseeing a review of global challenges informing the Treasury's spending review.
Simon also led for the Treasury on Home Office policy and spending, and on English and EU regional policy.
Simon directed the leading Westminster think tank's Environment and Energy Unit, researching and developing policy proposals across energy and water regulation, and wider environmental policy. He published a series of reports (for example here, here and here), engaged with ministers, MPs, senior officials in the UK and abroad, senior regulators and firms; spoke at party conferences, industry and Policy Exchange events and on the media - and successfully influenced government energy and water policies. He fundraised successfully to build the Unit's work programme.
Simon delivered a range of consulting projects to help Citizens Advice develop its policy positions and influence government and regulators. This included analysis, modelling & policy advice on: options for funding debt advice services; high-cost credit price capping; options for social tariffs and automatic compensation across regulated sectors; and consumer risks & protections in smart energy services.
Simon worked with Visa to financially model the impact of certain key risks and delivered comprehensive regulatory horizon-scanning relevant to Visa and its key stakeholders.
In consulting engagements, Simon developed key elements of the methodology for Ofwat's 5-year price review, including incentives for high quality water company business plans; requirements for companies to secure effective consumer input; and targeted incentives for effective network management and for sharing scarce water resources.
Simon was also Ofwat’s first director of market reform, setting up and leading the market reform programme. This included leading Ofwat’s review of competition in the water sector, engaging with firms, academics, regulators and other experts, and publishing proposals to government for opening-up parts of the water market to competition (which were later enacted in legislation). He Initiated work on vertical accounting separation of water companies and on regulatory incentives to better reflect water scarcity and encourage water trading.
Simon set up and led the Fundamental Legal Aid Review, taking an innovative approach that focused on the underlying drivers of legal aid costs, including justice processes and lawyer procurement arrangements. He structured the work programme and built & aligned a new team around his approach. He led engagement with senior judges, barristers and solicitors, advised the Lord Chancellor and delivered policy proposals, summarised in A Fairer Deal for Legal Aid.
Simon advised the World Wide Fund for Nature on policies to encourage more sustainable water extraction from the environment, focused on where and when water is most scarce. He co-authored the WWF's Itchen Initiative report.
Simon supported the Financial Conduct Authority to prepare for establishing the new Payment System Regulator, developing a blueprint and estimated budget for the PSR and advising on the high-level regulatory approach the new regulator should take.
Working in-country with Adam Smith International, Simon developed a value for money framework for assessing the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa education sector programme in Pakistan.
Simon undertook pricing research, modelling and analysis for a market review of the grocery retail market in Jersey and Guernsey.
Simon advised Thames Water on its business plan submission to Ofwat's price review. Following the outcome of the price review, he undertook an ex post evaluation of Thames Water's of approach to the review.
Simon was a member of the Office of Rail and Road's Economic Expert Advisory Panel.
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