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Lessons learned for effective public sector engagement with flood risk communitiesPublication date:November 2017The Consumer Futures Unit launches a new report today setting out a clear framework to support effective community engagement activities during the delivery of measures to help mitigate flooding.
Riding the Waves: Keeping the community on board is based on independent consumer research into the experience of local community resilience groups, Scottish Water and Scottish local authorities. The report looks at good practice in community engagement based on a series of consumer engagement principles.
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A summary of evidence gathered by Citizens Advice Bureau about their work.Publication date:November 2017
During 2016-17 Citizens Advice Bureaux supported almost 275,000 clients across Scotland with over 930,000 advice needs, none of which could have been achieved without the almost 2,400 volunteers and 938 paid staff. If standard opening hours are used as a benchmark, that would imply that one advice query is dealt with every 19 seconds!
The 'Advice in Scotland 2016-17' report provides all the detail, while the briefing paper covers the highlights.
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Publication date:November 2017
Statistical briefing on advice given; client demographics based on an annual survey of CAB clients undertake for 4 weeks in November 2016; map of coverage within the 4 weeks and comparison to SIMD data.
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Publication date:November 2017
Citizens Advice and Citizens Advice Scotland has produced this guide for organisations supporting PPM users. It sets out 5 key support areas and how these can be tailored to PPM users. Organisations should use these guidelines to ensure they are providing appropriate and effective support to PPM users, both in-house and through partnership work.
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Information leafletPublication date:October 2017The Consumer Futures Unit at Citizens Advice Scotland has developed a leaflet for those in receipt of benefits that clarifies what they are due to pay for water and sewerage charges, and includes any exemptions, discounts and reductions they may be due.
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Publication date:October 2017Today the Consumer Futures Unit (CFU) of Citizens Advice Scotland has published its insight report Warming Scotland up to Energy Efficiency: Putting Consumers First.
This insight report, and our other detailed recent publications on which it is based, seek to help provide a consumer perspective on this important area of policy.
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Publication date:October 2017The Consumer Futures Unit is publishing a series of briefing sheets that draw together evidence and recommendations on issues relevant to energy, post and water consumers in Scotland. This briefing gives an overview of research into consumer views on Scotland's Energy Efficiency Programme, and incentivising energy efficiency improvements in the owner-occupied sector.
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Publication date:September 2017
Briefing on % split of paid staff to volunteers; types of services provided to compliment the generalist service; client financial gain and funding; how clients contacted CAB and the work undertaken by CAB in addition to giving advice
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Publication date:September 2017The 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.
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Scottish Government consultationPublication date:September 2017Citizens Advice Scotland welcomes the opportunity to respond to the consultation, which builds on the previous consultation on the same subject carried out in 2009. Scotland’s CAB network has expertise in addressing socio-economic inequalities through the provision of independent advice, including income maximisation, benefits and money advice to groups who would be considered a priority in considering how the Socio-Economic Duty might be applied.
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Briefing from Citizens Advice ScotlandPublication date:September 2017Citizens 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.
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Publication date:September 2017
This leaflet takes you through the seven consumer principles, which guide the work of CAS. The principles were developed over time by consumer organisations based in the UK and further afield. They provide a sound basis to change organisations from thinking about consumers, to thinking like consumers in order to ensure that decision making is designed around their needs.
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Scottish Parliament Social Security Committee call for evidencePublication date:August 2017In 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.
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Publication date:August 2017
Response to the Department for Work and Pensions Consultation on proposed reforms to the Funeral Expenses Payments scheme.
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Publication date:July 2017
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.
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Study on the affordability of water and sewerage charges based on low income householdsPublication date:June 2017
The Consumer Futures Unit of Citizens Advice Scotland is inviting tenders for research into a Study on the affordability of water and sewerage charges based on low income households
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Publication date:June 2017Up 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.
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Publication date:June 2017The Consumer Futures Unit's inaugural consumer tracker survey reveals some of the experiences and habits of consumers of energy, post and water services in Scotland.
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Publication date:June 2017Our 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.
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Research into support for people reliant on private water suppliesPublication date:June 2017
The Consumer Futures Unit of Citizens Advice Scotland is inviting tenders for research into the provision of an adequate system of support for people reliant on private water supplies.
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Stressed About Debt? High costs of energy, food and fuel mean that many people are finding it impossible to keep up, worrying about debt or falling behind on bills. The Citizens Advice network in Scotland is here for you, with free, confidential and impartial advice in a variety of ways.