Date: 26 March 2026 10:00-10:45 GMT

Location: online

Co-Chairs: Laura Townshend, (IB1); Zarina Banu, (Tide)

Secretariat: IB1

Meeting Aims:

1. Update on case studies
2. Discuss upcoming actions
3. Review Vision statement

It was agreed that:

• British Chambers of Commerce, FSB and IOD should be prioritised as strategic targets to help amplify comms due to their credibility, authority and member reach
• The updated Perseus’ vision and mission statement should be approved

It was noted that:

• Innovate Finance’s Global Summit is in April and panel opportunities on sustainable energy featuring Perseus maybe available
• London Climate Action Week takes place in June and IB1 has a cross-sector meetup planned
• One of the members has two potential SME contacts who might be able to contribute, both PR-ready having presented at the Houses of Parliament

It was discussed that:

• The geopolitical context presents a timely opportunity to amplify Perseus messaging, particularly around energy sovereignty, the government’s consideration of decoupling gas/electric price caps, and the cost of living crisis
• Small businesses are being significantly impacted by energy costs, national insurance increases, minimum wage changes and inflation, making Perseus a relevant operational efficiency solution
• In order to achieve amplification, there is a need to identify the right internal spokespeople within steering group member organisations, not just the steering group representatives themselves

Next meeting: Thursday 28 May 2026 10:00-10:45 BST

Formal records, including attendees, are maintained by the secretariat. 

These are confidential to the Advisory Group Members.

Date: Tuesday 10 March 2026 10:00-12:00 GMT

Location: online

Co-Chairs: Melissa Tallack (NWL); Gavin Starks (IB1)

Secretariat: IB1

Meeting Aims 

1. Sign off Q2 outcomes and priority use case
2. Align on bids process criteria for incoming bids

Summary:

• It was agreed that:
  • Q2 strategic business priorities include: (endorsed by members after this meeting)
    • defining Stream’s 12‑month ambition and roadmap
    • continuing development of the Change Champion network
    • establishing a clearer process for supporting funding bids
    • progressing the Open Data maturity assessment plan.
  • The first prioritised Water Efficiency use case for this year will be Water Situation Reports.
• It was noted that:
  • Co-ordination will be required with the Environment Agency for the water situation report (as the report is owned by the EA)
  • Growing demand for Stream support on shared data use cases highlights the need for a clearer triage and prioritisation approach.
  • Members and observers felt there were certain items that should be taken into consideration, such as scope clarification (open vs shared data), the importance of FOI/EIR alignment, and maintaining opt‑in/opt‑out flexibility.
  • Energy sector learnings highlight the importance of common pattern libraries and Trust Frameworks to minimise cost and legal complexity.
  • Cross‑sector use cases may present future opportunities and should be considered in long‑term design thinking.
• It was discussed that:
  • The bids process requires refinement, including criteria such as value, repeatability, resource impact, technology implications, and avoiding parallel infrastructures.
  • A scoring matrix for shared data use cases could include economic, social and environmental value, friction reduction, legal complexity, and organisational readiness.
  • A Trust Framework model separating identity assurance from Scheme rules could lower future cost and improve cross‑sector interoperability.
  • Sector legal engagement will be challenging but early use case examples could build confidence and reduce friction.
  • Further knowledge‑sharing and workshops are needed to deepen understanding of Trust Frameworks and scheme governance.

Next meeting: Tuesday 21 April 2026 10:00-12:00 BST

Formal records, including attendees, are maintained by the secretariat. 

These are confidential to the Steering Group Members.

Date: Monday 23 February 2026 13:00-15:00 GMT

Location: online

Co-Chairs: Gavin Starks (IB1); Hannah Gilbert (British Business Bank)

Secretariat: IB1

Meeting Aims 

1. Agree on updated vision and mission
2. Understand 2026 roadmap
3. Update on DOC and AG
4. Commit to amplifying case studies
5. Identify funding sources

Summary:

• It was agreed that:
  • Case studies are the critical success metric for 2026. The ambition is to secure at least five examples that demonstrate real-world application.
  • Alignment with the Net Zero Council and the Smart Data Council agenda should continue, positioning Perseus as an exemplar of Smart Data implementation and Net Zero innovation.
• It was noted that:
  • The 2025 AGM reflected strong engagement from key stakeholders and financial service providers (including incumbents NatWest, Barclays and Lloyds and challenger banks).
  • Language has evolved to “embedded sustainable finance”, with continued emphasis on SME impact.
  • Sandbox learnings (AG2) identified and resolved integration challenges (e.g. with certificate authentication, improved documentation and clarity of roles, setup guides, tooling and specifications have been developed in response).
  • Legal updates (AG3) incorporate gas into permission text, clarify CAP-initiated (two-click) and FSP-initiated (single-click) consent journeys; Scheme agreement documentation has been consolidated; changes remain compliant with prior external legal advice.
  • Annual renewals remain the current funding model, with forecast renewals on track but cashflow risk recognised and multi-annual renewals should be considered.
  • The relationship with B4NZ (formerly ‘Bankers for Net Zero’) was recognised as having been supportive in the formation of the programme, and there is no ongoing relationship with that initiative.
  • Adam Jackson has accepted the role of DOC Chair.
• It was discussed that:
  • The proposed new vision, “Embedded sustainable finance for SMEs”, provides a clear and memorable direction of travel. Further refinement of mission language will be considered to ensure terminology resonates with SMEs.
  • The SME focus remains strategically valuable for maintaining clarity and discipline. Discussion included whether anchoring exclusively on SMEs may constrain broader use cases and it was noted that related initiatives (e.g. ib1.org/Orion and ib1.org/carbon-commons) had been created as channels to help develop ideas without distracting from Perseus’ core mission.
  • Case study development faces practical barriers: delays often arise from internal processes and time constraints, rather than inherent SME reluctance. It was noted that the majority SMEs day-to-day concerns are focussed on cash, not sustainability, and that Perseus’ strategy to reduce both cost and friction for SMEs (including ‘taking solutions to where the SME already are’) was the correct approach.

Next meeting: Monday 18 May 2026 13:00-15:00 BST

Formal records, including attendees, are maintained by the secretariat. 

These are confidential to the Steering Group Members.

Date: 24 February 2026 10:00-11:30 GMT

Location: Online

Co-Chairs: Lucy Chambers (IB1); Darren Anderson (NWL)

Secretariat: Icebreaker One 

Meeting Aims

1. Endorse the Q2 outcomes
2. Endorsement for CReDO data standardisation
3. Accelerating the decision towards sharing agreement templates

Summary:

• It was agreed that:
  • There were no significant concerns with the overall approach; however, the primary delivery risk identified was engagement with internal legal teams.
  • There’s value in the development of reusable artefacts and templates to avoid repeated drafting and to help colleagues engage legal teams more effectively.
• It was noted that:
  • A decision was made to continue with Esri on a reduced basis, with the cost totalling £27,000, down from £45,000 in year 1 and 2 of the project.
  • Q2 outcomes were presented for endorsement, including:
    • progressing data sharing agreements (created and signed) and sharing progress on shared data; 
    • technology / data sharing infrastructure best practice to CaSTco extension funding project
  • The next CReDO workshops are on hold, pending a further funding decision.
  • A case study on the Perseus data sharing scheme was presented as an example of how multilateral data-sharing arrangements and governance structures have been implemented elsewhere.
  • The working group outlined its approach to data-sharing agreements, including developing a decision framework and questionnaire to guide organisations on appropriate sharing mechanisms, categorising data by risk level, and creating a modular template agreement that could be adapted by participating organisations.
• It was discussed that:
  • There are risks associated with combining datasets and the need for legal and security considerations to be embedded within the framework.
  • It might be worth convening legal stakeholders together, potentially at the Innovation Festival, to help develop draft agreements and accelerate buy-in across water companies.

Next meeting: Tuesday 7 April 2026 10:00-11:30 BST

Formal records, including attendees, are maintained by the secretariat. 

These are confidential to the Advisory Group Members.

Date: Tuesday 17 February 2026 11:00-12:30 GMT

Location: In person & online

Co-Chairs: Sara Vaughan & Gavin Starks

Secretariat: IB1

Meeting Aims 

1. Support for the use case for 2026
2. Support the governance process
3. Connect us with new potential members

Summary:

• It was agreed that:
  • The 2026 roadmap will move from engagement and prioritisation early in the year to implementation activity later in the year.
  • Remaining organisations will be asked to complete outstanding terms of reference signatures, where that is possible.
• It was noted that:
  • An update was given on activities since the last SG, including:
    • Government and Ofgem activity is increasingly focused on ensuring greater visibility of distributed and flexible energy assets.
    • Elexon has gone live with its flexibility market facilitator role, and the new Flexibility Commissioner has been announced.
    • NESO and XOSERVE have announced a strategic partnership on consolidation and sharing of gas data which will help facilitate and streamline whole-system planning.
    • Ofgem published its Forward Workplan for 2026/7.
    • RECCO published the design consultation on its Consumer Consent solution.
    • The intended publication of the DESNZ/Ofgem Digitalisation Vision in Q1 2026 was confirmed.
  • The Smart Data Council has resumed and is developing UK guidance for smart data schemes.
  • The Perseus programme has broad participation and commercial offerings are expected from 2026, with a £5-10bn SME opportunity by 2030.
  • Feedback to the Open Data access controls paper has been positive across the sector.
  • The 2026 priority use cases will focus on UC04 – cross-sector storm response or UC05 – industrial and commercial flexibility.
• It was discussed that:
  • Practical implementation and real use cases may be more persuasive to policymakers than theoretical proposals.
  • A Community Interest Company (CIC) based SPV funding model could support multi-year funding and participation from multiple network operators but, given IB1’s non-profit, public benefit status, there was not a strong case to change to such a model.

Next meeting: Thursday 7 May 2026 14:30-16:00 BST

Formal records, including attendees, are maintained by the secretariat. 

These are confidential to the Steering Group Members.

Date: 19 February 2026 10:00-11:30 GMT

Location: Online

Co-Chairs: Charlotte Hillenbrand (IB1), Alex Hughes (Portsmouth Water), Andy Johnston (Scottish Water) 

Secretariat: Icebreaker One 

Meeting Aims

1. Review the feasibility of the Q2 outcomes 
2. Prioritise Q2 use cases

Summary

• It was agreed that:
  • Breakout group outputs indicate that initial focus is expected to fall on Water Situation Reports and Smart Metering use cases.
  • Recruitment for the next Change Champion cohort will begin in Q2, adopting the new six month model.
• It was noted that:
  • Alignment on Stream’s long‑term ambition to 2030 will require a clearer narrative and a shared understanding of data‑maturity expectations.
  • There is a need for earlier visibility of future expectations, including DEFRA’s emerging monitoring direction, and Stream could provide a coordinated route for this.
  • Q2 planning includes further development of CReDO, water‑efficiency workshops, and refreshed ecosystem communications
    • Use case and dataset activities will require higher member engagement than ecosystem‑level work.
• It was discussed that:
  • Water Situation Reports present a clear opportunity to move from PDF‑based reporting to consistent, reusable datasets aligned with EA‑sourced information.
  • Smart Metering requires alignment on core data items and consideration of processing‑scale challenges, reflecting varied rollout maturity across companies.
  • DWMP, WRMP and WINEP remain important but carry higher complexity due to predefined reporting formats and the need to reconcile published plans with underlying datasets.
  • Members emphasised ensuring new datasets are interoperable and sensitive to internal organisational capacity and timelines.

Next meeting: Thursday 2 April 2026 10:00-11:30 GMT

Formal records, including attendees, are maintained by the secretariat. 

These are confidential to the Advisory Group Members.

Date: 10 February 2026 10:00-11:0 GMT

Location: online

Chair: Frank Wales

Secretariat: IB1

Meeting Aims:

1. Summarise Sandbox learnings
2. Feedback from members on Perseus-ready integration
3. Discuss change management best practice
4. Present draft certificate revocation specification
5. Explore workshop topics in 2026

Summary:

It was agreed that:

• Lessons from sandbox integrations would continue to inform incremental improvements to documentation, tooling, and processes.
• Future change proposals would aim to present technical changes more concretely, including clearer linkage between definitive specifications, and registry entries.

It was noted that:

• Four categories of issues had emerged from recent sandbox integrations:
  • Certificate authentication challenges, including confusion around directory usage and certificate expiry on services.
  • Conceptual understanding gaps, particularly around the FAPI 2 security model and Perseus’ role as an enabler of connections rather than a data provider.
  • Areas where documentation required clarification, including subdomain queries, CAP-to-EDP selection, and OAuth flow setup.
  • Technical usability issues with the directory service, including sandbox labelling and endpoint behaviour.
• A range of documentation and support improvements had been implemented in response, including workflow diagrams, role-specific setup guides (CAP and EDP) , a CLI testing tool for EDPs, and a directory usage guide with screenshots.

It was discussed that:

• IB1 recommends a Certificate Revocation List (CRL) approach over OCSP for certificate withdrawal, on the basis of simplicity, lower operational complexity and improved privacy characteristics; we are accepting review and feedback on this until February 27 (see actions)
• Git-based workflows were seen as helpful for proposing and reviewing technical changes (such as API updates), but not sufficient on their own to describe multi-environment availability or long-term governance state.
• Future change proposals could benefit from clearer presentation of “before and after” states, including diffs against OpenAPI specifications, supported by explanatory documents.

Next meeting: Tuesday 28 April 2026 10:00-11:00 GMT

Formal records, including attendees, are maintained by the secretariat. 

These are confidential to the Advisory Group Members.

Date: 9 February 2026 10:00-11:30 GMT

Location: online

Secretariat: IB1

Meeting Aims:

1. Orientate for 2026
2. Agree workshops
3. Review market based carbon accounting concept

Summary:

It was agreed that:

• The primary focus for the year ahead is on concrete customer use cases and case studies.
• Individual follow‑ups will be undertaken with Members to map internal stakeholders and decision‑making processes.
• Each Member will prioritise identification of at least one potential ‘lighthouse’ customer.
• Further work will document and consult on the proposed market‑based emissions methodology, including supporting FAQs.

It was noted that:

• 2026 is the key go‑to‑market period, translating existing technical capability into demonstrable customer value.
• Constructive early conversations have taken place with the Financial Conduct Authority regarding Perseus’ positioning with Smart Data/Open Finance initiatives.
• to broaden scope beyond lending to include savings, asset finance, and other financial products, the phrase “access to finance” has evolved to “financial incentives”
• £5–10bn potential addressable  market is seen as ‘directionally credible’ and indicates substantial value opportunities for all stakeholders.

It was discussed that:

• From an SME perspective, particularly micro‑businesses, sustainability and net zero language has limited traction
• SMEs prioritise cost reductions, operational efficiency, and resilience, with emissions reduction often viewed as a secondary benefit. Perseus’ position as embedded sustainable finance is tactically aligned with this. 
• A key opportunity to increase TAM is ‘taking incentives directly to where the SMEs are’ (i.e. in their accounting and analysis applications) 
• Large financial institutions face material internal constraints, with implementation timelines often measured in years rather than months
• Technology is not the primary blocker; the key gap lies in the business case and incentive structures and this will inform our go‑to‑market approach, and clarity of financial value.

Next meeting: Monday 20 April 2026 10:00-11:30 GMT

Formal records, including attendees, are maintained by the secretariat. 

These are confidential to the Advisory Group Members.

Date: 5 February 2026 10:00-10:45 GMT

Location: online

Co-Chairs: Laura Townshend, (IB1); Zarina Banu, (Tide)

Secretariat: IB1

Meeting Aims:

1. Understand the Perseus 2026 Roadmap
2. Feedback from the AGM
3. Sign off a 2026 comms plan

Summary:

It was agreed that:

• 2026 comms will pivot more strongly to detailed, high‑quality case studies as a central tool to build trust and drive membership, rather than relying primarily on generic messaging or high‑level testimonials.
• The co-chair will share existing best‑practice case‑study and member‑spotlight formats she has developed (at Tide) with the IB1 team to inform Perseus templates.

It was noted that:

• The Perseus AGM was positively received
• The core comms outcomes for 2026 remain: Building trust and confidence in Perseus and making a consistent, compelling case for new and renewed memberships
• The communications plan for 2026 was presented and agreed
• High‑quality, detailed case studies are better suited than broad messaging to demonstrate ease of integration, tangible benefits, and business value.

It was discussed that:

• Perseus’ vision and mission will evolve in 2026, with suggestion by one member that this ought to be amended to also highlight benefits
• New case‑study formats could include a multi‑part journey following one CAP across the year
• Physical/in‑person or live formats (e.g. roundtables, workshops) can generate richer engagement and large amounts of reusable digital content

Next meeting: Thursday 26 March 2026 10:00-10:45 GMT

Formal records, including attendees, are maintained by the secretariat. 

These are confidential to the Advisory Group Members.

Carbon Commons (CC) is a new collaboration to improve supply chain carbon accounting. 

Today’s carbon accounting methods often rely on inconsistent and incomplete data, which can result in fragmented, incomparable, and often unrealistic emissions estimates across complex supply chains. CC will help create a transparent, unified, usable, and fit-for-purpose approach towards a harmonised methodology, and principles for calculating hybridised emissions factors. 

Role

The CC Steering Group, provides independent governance, oversight and direction by convening non-commercial stakeholders to guide and validate priorities and outputs. It will ensure delivery of fit-for-purpose reporting that is practical, realistic, robust, comparable, and complete. 

Date: 26 January 2026 10:00-12:00 GMT

Location: online

Co-Chairs: Gavin Starks (Icebreaker One) and Duncan Oswald (Sage, interim co-chair pre-launch)

Secretariat: IB1

Meeting Aims: 

1. Explain Carbon Commons and its governance processes
2. Discuss targets and launch ideas
3. Agree on Membership proposal and reach out to prospective members

Minutes:

• It was agreed that:
  • the governance model and membership terms be adopted
  • the vision, mission, and values be adopted, subject to the addition of ‘five principles’

• It was noted that:
  • for-profit organisations cannot sit on the Steering Group (n.b.  DO will step down as interim co‑chair and there will be a selection process for the new co-chair)
  • CC is positioned to aid harmonisation and compliance, not as a competing standard. The SG will determine its scope – e.g. data set(s), defining criteria for CC-compliant factors and methods, enabling comparability across products, companies and sectors.
  • the SG will approve a definition of ‘fit-for-purpose’ for CC
  • the role of technical and academic expertise is essential in safeguarding methodological quality 
  • governance is key to enable adoption and reduce risk
  • carbon accounting is increasingly important in procurement, taxation, cross-border adjustment mechanisms (CBAM), and financial decisions, but the data quality is not fit for purpose or system complete
  • product‑level emissions factors are an initial priority area for impact and alignment

• It was discussed that:
  • there is a need to coordinate with government and parallel initiatives (e.g. WRI, UK Government) to ensure incremental development and avoid duplication of effort
  • clear communication and storytelling are critical: CC participants must be able to understand and explain what it is and what it is not (e.g. via product-level use cases) in plain language, for practitioners, SMEs and related stakeholders

Next meeting: March 2026 [date to be confirmed]

Formal records, including attendees, are maintained by the secretariat.  These are confidential to the Steering Group Members.

Co-chaired by Icebreaker One and NWL, the group’s primary function is to help provide leadership and market signalling. Oversight of, and endorsement from, this group will establish a lasting set of robust governance measures to ensure data is shared safely and with the correct regulations.

Date: 27 January 2026 10:00-12:00 GMT

Location: online

Co-Chairs: Melissa Tallack (NWL); Gavin Starks (IB1)

Meeting Aims: 

• Members provide direction to Stream on priorities emerging from company 1-1s
• Clear ambition and alignment on the vision for Stream

Summary:

Minutes:

• It was noted that:
  • Operational updates for 2026 are progressing, including intranet launch and minor operating model refinements
  • Ofwat completed meetings with all water companies, noting that strong progress has been enabled by Stream and identifying sector‑wide themes including internal data portals, maturity assessment use, value measurement, and transparency of roadmaps.
  • Upcoming regulatory changes from DEFRA’s white paper and wider government initiatives (Smart Data Council, National Data Library, NESO/RECO developments) will have material impact on future data flows and interoperability requirements.
  • There was broad support for the ODI maturity model as a shared baseline. Members felt it provides practical benchmarking, comparability and a lighter process than previous audits.

• It was agreed that:
  • Stream will prioritise work on the four sector themes presented by Ofwat (in order of priority):
    • Standardised maturity assessment (e.g. using the ODI Open Data Maturity Assessment for Open Data).
    • Alignment on company data portals and approaches to internal/external data publishing.
    • Value measurement framework for open/shared data.
    • Greater transparency of company roadmaps.
  • Members will reflect on the long‑term direction of Stream as a Data Institution, to inform future governance and strategic decisions.

• It was discussed that:
  • The transition from Stream today to a Data Institution requires a clearer narrative for members, ensuring a clear understanding of the different layers of governance, operational maturity, and interoperability with the wider ecosystem.
  • Stream must be capable of connecting with wider UK data sharing initiatives, both within the water sector and cross-sector.
  • Its socio‑technical approach was seen as a strength versus more tech‑heavy models elsewhere.
  • Strong consensus that use cases should continue driving design decisions.
    • Use cases like continuous water quality monitoring will test how far Stream should move beyond raw data to provide analytics/visualisation and a guided interpretation.
  • There is a need for early visibility of future expectations (e.g., open monitoring) to avoid inefficiencies seen in recent reporting requirements. Stream could act as a coordinated route into regulators.

Date: 13 January 2026 10:00-11:30 GMT

Location: online

Co-Chairs: Lucy Chambers (IB1); Darren Anderson (NWL)

Secretariat: IB1

Meeting Aims

1. Refresher on the Data Institution to surface any key questions that members have
2. Aligning on new steps/actions for the Data Institution (potentially questions to take away for the next session)
3. Aligning on governance/onboarding best practice for 2026

• It was noted that:
  • The meeting focused on advancing Stream’s transition toward becoming a data institution, a key strategic goal for 2026. 
  • Funding from the Water Breakthrough Challenge will end by 2028, requiring Stream to develop a sustainable business model beyond member subscriptions, otherwise membership fees are likely to triple. 
  • A centralised hub for governance documents will be developed to improve integration and transparency. 
• It was agreed that:
  • Next steps include refining the business and operating model, creating clear messaging and an FAQ for executive buy-in, addressing financial sustainability, and engaging data champions within member organisations. 
• It was discussed that:
  • Becoming a recognised data institution by 2028 requires clarity on recognition criteria and positioning Stream as the industry go-to for water data. 
  • There are some key concerns, which include: 
    • Balancing commercialisation with maintaining open data principles. 
    • Aligning Stream’s governance with existing company processes and managing liability shifts. 
    • Our current technical capability for items such as automated data pipelines and broader data formats (e.g., audio/video) was identified as a potential limitation. 
  • There are some opportunities, which include: 
    • Leveraging Stream’s role to influence governance standards and become proactive rather than reactive. 
    • Positioning Stream as the trusted industry hub/advisory body during regulatory changes. 
  • Some risks were identified: 
    • Loss of regulatory pressure could reduce industry cooperation. 
    • There are long timelines to realise true value (e.g., Transport for London example took 10 years). 

Date: 8 January 2026 10:00-11:30 GMT

Location: Online

Co-Chairs: Charlotte Hillenbrand (IB1), Alex Hughes (Portsmouth Water), Andy Johnston (Scottish Water) 

Secretariat: Icebreaker One 

Meeting Aims 

• Refresh the prioritisation process to ensure focus and alignment for 2026 
• Refine the backlog ahead of prioritisation process for one big use case on 2026’s theme of water effectiveness using water company insights 
• What do you want to see from a water company perspective moving forward? 

Summary

• It was noted that:
  • All outcomes were achieved in Q4 2025. 
  • The overarching theme for 2026 is water efficiency, covering leakage, per capita consumption, metering, water quality, and resilience. 
  • Engagement from members is critical to success; lack of participation is a key risk. 
  • Several changes for 2026 include introducing a strategic business pillar and renaming ‘operations’ to ‘governance’. 
  • Open Data Day will run in March as part of the global Open Knowledge Foundation event, focused on water efficiency, with hackathons hosted by member organisations, who are able to define their own challenge within the remit of water efficiency. 
• It was agreed that:
  • Five priority use cases will move forward for refinement 
  • Some use cases (e.g., APR data and common performance commitments) are valuable but deferred due to timing and regulatory uncertainty. 
• It was discussed that:
  • Additional use cases need further exploration before prioritisation 
  • Risks include dependency on third-party data and regulatory changes. 
  • CReDO funding update: the initial bid was unsuccessful but a new bid will be submitted for Catalyst funding. 
  • Engagement campaigns and reusable tools, such as the bitesize messaging, will be developed to strengthen ecosystem participation. 

Date: 25 November 2025 11:00-12:30 GMT

Location: Online

Co-Chairs: Sara Vaughan & Gavin Starks

Secretariat: IB1

Meeting Aims 

1. Understand the reactions to the Architecture coordinator open letter
2. Update on Open Energy activities and webinar

Summary:

• It was noted that:
  • A number of the Q4 goals are complete or in progress, and the IB1 team are working to realign those remaining to create a new plan for Q1 and Q2, which will be shared with members in January 2026.
  • There was good engagement and attendance at the webinar in October, with poll results revealing that uncertainty around sector-wide alignment is a major confidence barrier, with participant discussion reinforcing the need for a coordinated approach.
  • Driven by the Data Use and Access Act, data sharing initiatives are starting to form across the economy.
  • As one of the more mature sectors for data sharing, the energy sector is experiencing concerns over misalignment that will likely play out in other sectors, and it has an opportunity to demonstrate how the co-ordination function should operate.
• It was agreed that:
  • Without further clarity on the venn diagram of roles within the industry, and who should be at the helm, the industry faces a significant financial risk of duplication and over-spending, leading to this transformation costing much more than it needs to; and
  • There is fragmentation across the industry with a lack of coherence around the venn diagram of roles, and who should be coordinating, orchestrating and determining the future developments.
  • Developing a Market Architecture would help to shape the governing process along with who the relevant actors are and what their contributions should be, providing clarity to the industry.
  • This does not have to be a single body, it could be a community of actors working together within some sort of governing body. A not-for-profit could be used to bring this together.
• It was noted that:
  • There are competing views on the value of a use case-based approach. However, many members feel that use cases are essential to be able to work on achievable priorities within the industry and make informed decisions about data protection and security.
  • It’s important to take note of the work that RECCo is undertaking, particularly what trust framework RECCo provides and how that is then used by the broader market. This highlights the decisions that need to be made and where there is a requirement for a coordinating function.
  • The question of ‘who is the final arbiter?’ that was posed during the last meeting, is yet to be resolved.
• It was discussed that:
  • While NESO holds the interim DSI role until 2028, it would be challenging for them, at least until then and possibly beyond without a change in the skills and capability of the organisation, to take up the role of a single, accountable organisation for digital co-ordination of the sector – although, in principle, this was the sort of role they should be fulfilling.
  • Other industries have placed an independent non-profit at the centre of their data-sharing arrangements, setting a successful precedent for the energy industry to follow.

Co-chaired by Icebreaker One and NWL, the group’s primary function is to help provide leadership and market signalling. Oversight of, and endorsement from, this group will establish a lasting set of robust governance measures to ensure data is shared safely and with the correct regulations.

Date: 1 December 2025 10:00-12:00 BST

Location: online

Co-Chairs: Melissa Tallack (NWL); Gea Winterson-Mikic on behalf of Gavin Starks (IB1)

Secretariat: IB1

Meeting Aims 

1. Endorsing the 2026 achievement states and outcomes for Q1 2026
2. Endorsing the Tech WG recommendations
3. Engaging members in the shift from project to business through the Data Institution
4. To gather a baseline to understand where companies’ engagement with Stream is right now and how we can best support companies moving forward. What are the next steps?
5. Action from members on Water Efficiency Lab Fund and Section 82 work

Summary:

Minutes:

• It was agreed that:
  • The tech working group’s recommendations will proceed, subject to quorum confirmation, with emphasis on publisher support, metadata enhancements, and Esri contract engagement.
  • Q1 priorities will include roadmap development for the data institution and delivery of secure data sharing capabilities.

• It was noted that:
  • Stream is working towards a ‘data institution’ status, supported by ODI workshops scheduled for early 2026.
  • Water Efficiency will be the 2026 theme, following the delivery of the 2025 “Clean up UK Rivers and Seas” theme.
  • Usability testing showed high satisfaction for external users (score: 77.5) regarding the Stream platform, but only average ease of use for publishers (score: 68.6).
  • The Esri contract renewal is a fixed 3-year term starting early 2026, limiting near-term replatforming options due to budget constraints.
  • A retrospective was conducted and a summary will be shared back in the next meeting

• It was discussed that:
  • Financial sustainability remains a core challenge as Stream transitions to a Data Institution
  • There is a need to distinguish bugs from enhancement requests in platform feedback to better inform contract negotiations.
  • Manual account setup on the Esri platform poses a barrier to scaling shared data access but it can be done.
  • Risks include uncertain technical readiness for secure research environments and potential misalignment between future use cases and existing tooling.

1. Confirm positions on Greening Finance in 2026
2. Get operational updates
3. Sentiment check on the proposed Executive Summary

Summary:

It was agreed that:

• The shift from financing green to greening finance continues to be the correct framing for 2026 as it broadens the scope beyond green-linked loans to all relevant financial products and services, and better aligns with shifts in language such as productivity, resilience, efficiency and cost reduction.

It was noted that:

• Tony Greenham was thanked for his significant contribution to Perseus as 2025 co-chair.
• Hannah Gilbert, Director of Sustainability at the British Business Bank will take over from Tony Greenham as co-chair for 2026. Hannah brings a strong background in trust-based data sharing from her open banking fintech experience.
• Several financial institutions are moving away from using the term green finance due to policy and market uncertainty.
• The proliferation of third-party emissions datasets carries a risk of poor-quality SME estimates, reinforcing the importance of assurable data.
• The DOC considers project management, financial position and risk controls as satisfactory.
• AG1 segmentation work will both identify data-ready, higher-emitting sectors whilst ensuring that all SMEs are considered, and that language should be aligned with business outcomes and industrial strategy priorities.
• AG2 confirmed that the sandbox is operational, the national risk assessment is complete, and gas-data methodology has been approved. Work continues toward production readiness.
• AG3 & AG5 activity has been minimal as no major legal or policy barriers have been identified. Alignment work with regulators continues.
• AG4 communications will focus on the greening-finance narrative and the upcoming report launch.
• Priorities for 2026 include scheme-as-a-service onboarding, development of FSP case studies, integration of gas data, and progress on consumer consent solutions.

It was discussed that:

• Nature-related factors (e.g. biodiversity, water, land use) are becoming increasingly significant for investors and are viewed as drivers of resilience.
• Scope expansion and interaction with parallel initiatives (e.g. Project Orion) should continue to be monitored.

Date: 17 November 2025 10:00-11:30 GMT

Location: online

Co-Chairs: Lucy Chambers (IB1); Jackie Yemm

Secretariat: IB1

Meeting Aims:

• It was noted that:
  • A series of more detailed workshops will be held to understand how Stream can move forward to becoming a Data Institution (legal & governance, technical, and commercial) and what the challenges may be.
    • Multiple people are welcome
    • Please invite anyone with IP experience to join the legal & governance workshop.
  • The Cunliffe review called out a need for a data sharing platform, the Data Institution work is in response to that call, alongside the need to be a sustainable venture.
  • A renewal for ESRI is occurring earlier, with a longer contract than anticipated and therefore tradeoffs have had to be made and the recommendations have been adapted accordingly.
  • Stream’s theme for 2026 is water efficiency, which came out of strategic priorities and AMP8 work.
  • The Achievement States have been set for the year and members have been asked to endorse them.
    • Sharing agreements are essential to move Stream beyond open data and the needs of these agreements are a key part of the work in Q1.
    • Water company risk appetite is low and therefore moving forward with data sharing without impacting the work on Open Data needs to be considered
  • A retrospective took place and members shared their feedback for the state of governance for 2026
• It was discussed that:
  • One of the key challenges facing the Data Institution will be the shift in mindset from project to business, alongside the financial implications of this shift for water companies
  • The Data Institution is a big shift for Stream to communicate to stakeholders when the value creation work is still ongoing
  • Work needs to be done to show that this is relevant and the right thing to do
  • The biggest risk is that it is unknown whether the platform meets the requirements for the Phase 3 goals as we do not know what the requirements are.

Date: 13 November 2025 10:00-11:30 GMT

Location: Online

Co-Chairs: Charlotte Hillenbrand (IB1), Alex Hughes (Portsmouth Water), Andy Johnston (Scottish Water) 

Secretariat: Icebreaker One 

Meeting Aims 

• To sign off the achievement states 
• To recap on the Data Institution aims and its impact for Stream 
• To have a retrospective on AG1’s 2025 experience 

Summary:

• It was noted that:
  • A key goal is to position Stream as a responsible data steward in the sector
  • The ODI have invited all members along to three respective workshops to help shape the data stewardship of the model.
    • The workshops include: legal and governance, commercial, and technical infrastructure
  • Independence and financial stability are key elements of a secure Data Institution
  • ‘Global’ could be interpreted as ‘one’ other country but this needs to be more clearly defined, potentially to ‘international’ or ‘globally relevant’.
  • Our big theme for the year will be water efficiency but further work is needed to define what success looks like.
  • this should be called out in the achievement slide so that it’s clear
• It was agreed that the achievement states feel like the right level of ambition
• It was noted that the confidence for the CReDO use case being finished is high
• It was discussed that:
  • Tools for tracking engagement are important to help bring in non-water company members and their engagement
  • Open Data day planning needs to be brought forward so that awareness is raised within companies.
• It was agreed that in order to improve external awareness, we first need to be recognised internally within water companies
• It was noted that taking the time to provide context to the discussion and vote is helpful for members.

Date: 4 November 2025 10:00-10:45 BST

Location: online

Co-Chairs: Zarina Banu (Tide); Laura Townshend, (IB1)

Secretariat: IB1

Meeting Aims

1. Agree plan for Perseus report launch and AGM

Summary:

It was noted that:

• This marks a transition from financing green activities to greening finance more broadly — embedding sustainability directly into mainstream financial systems and products rather than treating it as a niche.

It was further noted that:

• Banks are exploring new incentives such as offering higher interest rates on savings or current accounts for SMEs demonstrably working towards net zero, creating a new category of incentive-based finance.

It was discussed that:

• Financial service providers are increasingly recognising the wider potential of Perseus to support both debt and credit finance, and that alignment with the Smart Data Act is encouraging banks to think differently about smart data in finance.
• Terms such as “net zero” and “sustainability” remain politically sensitive, and the narrative should emphasise practical solutions and market transformation rather than ideology.
• The narrative must balance macro and micro perspectives — connecting the large-scale market transformation enabled by Perseus with clear, practical benefits for individual SMEs.
• For many SMEs, accessing finance is not emerging as a primary concern for engaging with sustainability initiatives; rather, their interest lies in ease and simplicity, and saving time. It was noted that positioning Perseus as something that removes friction — automating data sharing, reducing paperwork, and making participation effortless — will resonate more strongly.
• The upcoming Perseus report and AGM communications should position Perseus as enabling a market-wide transformation of the financial system, supported by the visible progress of members and partners.

It was agreed that:

• The communications narrative should evolve to reflect this broader ambition while keeping language pragmatic, low-cost, and focused on productivity, efficiency, and the unlocking of private-sector finance.
• Both levels of storytelling will be needed: macro to convey ambition and system impact; micro to make outcomes tangible and relatable to businesses and partners.
• 2026 AG4 meetings would continue to be on a monthly basis but with ‘permission to cancel’ when prudent.

Date: 27th October 2025 10:30-11:00 BST

Chair: Frank Wales, IB1

Secretariat: IB1

The meeting aims were as follows:

1. Update on Perseus
2. Workshop readout
3. Vote on gas methodology

Summary:

• It was discussed that banks generally expect technology service providers to align with ISO 27001 standards, but it is unclear whether trust services, which do not directly process the data FSPs receive via Perseus, would be held to the same requirements
• It was discussed that documentation must accurately reflect deployed systems.
• It was noted that the sandbox environment is now fully operational, with enhanced error reporting expected in Q4 and deliberate error-state testing to follow
• It was noted that the Centre for Net Zero has a synthetic smart meter data service- https://www.centrefornetzero.org/technologies/faraday. It was agreed that it should be assessed for inclusion in the sandbox in 2026 
• It was noted that external status dashboards are launching shortly
• It was noted that remaining production activities include a third-party security assessment this quarter, activation of live certificate authorities distinct from the sandbox, and performance monitoring once SLA requirements are defined. A community forum for member collaboration is planned for 2026.
• It was discussed that gas methodology approval will require a simple legal change—adding “and gas” to permission text—and that the selected technical approach uses half-hourly gas consumption data with government annual emissions factors.
• It was noted that data provenance for blended electricity/gas reports introduces complexity, as multiple emissions factor sources are required and individual data points will not be tied to specific factors; provenance metadata will document overall sources.
• It was agreed that future considerations include potential specification updates for biogas grid integration (to be reviewed by IB1) and that regional gas grid variations are not yet addressed.
• A vote took place on the “Approval of data specifications for gas consumption and emissions calculation”