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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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The role of medical evidence in the benefits systemPublication date:June 2017Our ‘Burden of Proof’ report explores the role that medical evidence plays in assessing ill health and disability benefits, from the perspective of Citizens Advice Bureaux clients, advisers and some of the professionals involved.
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Scottish Parliament Local Government and Communities Communities CommitteePublication date:June 2017
Though not the only driver of homelessness, the past five years have seen a large increase in the number of rent arrears issues dealt with by Scotland’s CAB network. CAS is commencing research to examine the causes and consequences of rent arrears for CAB clients, including those who become homeless as a result. This submission examines CAB data related to homelessness and rent arrears, as well as some of the causes of rent arrears that can lead to evictions and homelessness.
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A snapshot of citizens advice bureaux clientsPublication date:June 2017Our 5th edition in the 'Who Are You?' series, coming to you in a new format, describes those coming to citizens advice bureaux in Scotland for advice during November 2016.
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Publication date:May 2017In November 2016, the Benefit Cap was reduced to £384.62 per week for families. Official figures suggest that 3,642 households in Scotland will have their housing support capped as a result of the lowering of the Cap, compared with 745 households prior to
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A look at how people in Scotland feel about finances, credit and debtPublication date:May 2017We asked people from across Scotland about their relationship with money, debt, credit, and planning for the future.
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Publication date:May 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 consumer issues in relation to district heating in Scotland.
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Scottish Parliament Social Security Committee inquiryPublication date:May 2017
CAS is generally concerned about the restriction on families to only being able to claim Child Tax Credits or Universal Credit for two children. Advice on Child Tax Credits is one of the most common issues that clients seek advice on, with 13,363 new issues during the year, an increase of 14% compared with the previous 12 months. A CAB client profile survey in November 2016 showed that 9.3% of clients (1 in every 11) who were given advice on an issue related to Child Tax Credits were from a large family, with three or more dependent children.
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Work and Pensions Committee InquiryPublication date:April 2017In November 2016, the Benefit Cap was reduced to £384.62 per week for families.
Official estimates suggest that 5,000 households in Scotland will have their housing support capped as a result of the lowering of the Cap, compared with 745 households prior to the change.
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Publication date:April 2017The Citizens Advice Service in Scotland isn’t just the country's leading independent advice service. It is also a leading advocate for social change. This document outlines the issues that Citizens Advice Scotland will focus on and the changes that we aim to influence in the next year and beyond.
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A report to the Consumer Futures Unit of Citizens Advice ScotlandPublication date:April 2017
This report examines recent changes in the cost of household water and sewerage charges in Scotland. It examines the position across all consumers, but focuses in particular on those on low incomes and examines in detail the issue of affordability for those in receipt of state benefits.
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Scottish Parliament Social Security Committee call for evidencePublication date:March 2017
Citizens Advice Scotland welcomes the opportunity to submit evidence to inform the Committee’s consideration of the Bill. Scotland’s CAB Service sees the effects of child poverty on a daily basis, and the majority of advice provided by citizens advice bureaux in Scotland relates to issues related to maximising low incomes, particularly access to social security benefits and dealing with problem debt.
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CAS response to Work and Pensions Committee inquiryPublication date:March 2017Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) welcomes the opportunity to provide evidence to the Committee’s inquiry. In 2015/16, citizens advice bureaux in Scotland advised clients on 227,561 new issues related to social security benefits. Of those, 98,699 (43%) related to the six legacy benefits that are due to be replaced by Universal Credit. It is likely that Universal Credit will eventually become the largest single issue that Scotland’s CAB Network provides advice on, and in areas where Full Service Universal Credit has already been rolled out, it is quickly beginning to take up a significant proportion of CAB advisers’ time.
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Response to Scottish Government consultationPublication date:March 2017Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) warmly welcomes the opportunity to respond to this consultation. These draft regulations represent the first piece of legislation as part of the social security powers devolved to the Scottish Government under the Scotland Act 2016. The use of the Universal Credit flexibilities has been of considerable interest to CAS, alongside the wider rollout of Universal Credit, which is already a significant impact on many CAB clients.
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UK Government consultationPublication date:February 2017
CAS welcomes the Government’s ambition to reduce the disability employment gap, which is important in ensuring equality, fairness in the workplace and helping people with disabilities and health conditions maximise their incomes. However, it should be recognised that there are people who will not be able to undertake paid work because of their condition or impairment, in a number of cases for the remainder of their life.
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Publication date:February 2017The Consumer Futures Unit (CFU) has responded to the Scottish Parliament’s joint call for evidence as part of its scrutiny of the Scottish Government’s third draft Climate Change Plan.
The CFU is pleased to have had the opportunity to comment on Scottish Ministers’ plans for meeting Scotland’s annual greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction targets. In responding to the Scottish Parliament’s joint call for evidence we have limited our comments to areas of the draft plan that are directly relevant to our remit.
In this publication we present our written evidence to the Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform Committee. Our evidence to the Economy, Jobs and Fair Work Committee and the Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee is available separately and can be downloaded below.
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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.