Publications

The Consumer Futures Unit at Citizens Advice Scotland supports ambitious climate change targets. We understand that the negative economic and social impact of climate change on future generations will be greater if action is not taken now.

However, the near term impacts on the citizens of Scotland must be carefully managed to ensure that decarbonisation policies consider affordability and consumer needs and acceptability in a way that will build positive trust and lead to mutual positive outcomes.

Citizens Advice Scotland is calling for a freeze in the roll out of Universal Credit (UC) until serious policy and administrative issues have been addressed, to ensure that the positive principles behind Universal Credit can be achieved.

 In 2016/17, Scotland’s CAB network provided advice on 94,301 new issues relating to the benefits being devolved, representing 37% of benefits advice given, or 16% of all advice given by Scotland’s citizens advice bureaux in that year. CAS has provided a substantial body of evidence based on CAB clients and advisers’ daily experiences of engaging with the current system, together with their priorities for the new Scottish system.We look forward to continuing to work with the Scottish Parliament and Scottish Government to ensure the new system is fair, equal and responsive with Scotland’s citizens at the heart of it.

The Scottish Government are undertaking a review of the National Transport Strategy (NTS) in order to develop a successor to the current strategy. The new transport strategy will set out the vision for transport over the next 20 years. 

Up and down the country, decisions are taken every year that affect us as consumers of energy, post and water. These can be anything from new laws, to choices made by private companies. A wide variety of interests and priorities are considered by these decision makers, who range from businesses and political parties to government officials and regulators. 

Our Energy Advice in Detail report analyses the energy issues upon which Citizens Advice Service clients in Scotland sought help in 2015-16, and places these issues within the wider policy context. Issues were raised through the following three services:

• 23,237 new energy issues brought by clients through the 61 Citizens Advice Bureaux across Scotland, an increase of 5% from 2014-15.
• 4,210 calls from Scotland to the Citizens Advice Consumer Service-a decrease of 12% from 2014-15.
• 1,163 vulnerable consumers in Scotland supported by the Extra Help Unit, almost identical to the number in 2014-15.

Facing Fuel Poverty explores what projects and services delivering face-to-face fuel poverty advice exist in Scotland and examines the benefits and costs of delivering such services.

Based on research carried out by Changeworks on behalf of the CFU, we note that tailored fuel poverty advice, delivered in the home, is reported as a necessary service for certain consumers, but that improved monitoring and evaluation of projects is needed. 

The Consumer Futures Unit at Citizens Advice Scotland has published its work plan for 2017-18. 

“We welcome the production of an energy strategy which draws together all aspects of energy production and consumption, and presents a whole system view. 

We also welcome the ambition of the strategy to deliver targets such as an all energy target for the equivalent of 50% of Scotland’s heat, transport and electricity to be supplied from renewable sources by 2030. However given the significant role that consumers are likely to play in achieving these targets, the impacts upon consumers must be central to proposals and policies set out in the final energy strategy.

Consumers will be especially important in the delivery of low carbon heating in Scotland’s domestic buildings. Given the uptake of renewable heating systems in Scotland has been relatively low to date, the affordability and understanding of consumer behaviour in new policies must be carefully considered moving forward.

Currently those who live off the gas grid and often rely on expensive electric heating suffer from the highest rates of fuel poverty. The transition to low carbon heating systems and a low carbon energy system more widely, must ensure that these households are supported as a priority.

As highlighted as a key theme in the strategy, the energy transition must be stable and managed and consider the needs of all consumers in Scotland.”