Publications

The Scottish Campaign on Rights to Social Security (SCoRSS) is a coalition of organisations who advocate for a reformed social security system that reflects the five principles set out in our Principles for Change. SCoRSS (previously the Scottish Campaign on Welfare Reform) encompasses over 40 organisations from key third sector organisations, charities, faith groups, and unions. Our members have a diverse range of experience and expertise and a strong understanding of social security and its impact on the people and communities we work with.

Focusing on the impact the £20-a-week cut to UC will have to Scotland, our briefing shows that:

• Nearly three quarters (74%) of Scottish Citizens Advice Bureau clients on UC will struggle if the cut goes through;
• 1 in 4 people claiming UC in Scotland say they are ‘very likely’ to need to skip meals when the cut hits, and 17% say they are very likely to use a food bank;
• As many as 4,000 low-income households (8,000 children) will lose entitlement to Scottish Child Payment if the cut goes ahead, due to the passporting of Scottish Child Payment from UC, meaning these families may face an income cut greater than £20-a-week; and
• More than half a billion pounds a year will be removed from the Scottish economy, cutting support for some of the most deprived parts of the UK.

SCoRSS is calling for the £20 weekly increase to Universal Credit to be made permanent.

This report, the second in a three-part series on UC during the pandemic, covers our clients’ experiences living on UC during the pandemic. Our research found that rising costs during the pandemic have pushed an already-too-low social security system to breaking point:

• 67% of people surveyed said the UC payment they received was inadequate for their needs, with more than half of these people (55%) describing UC as ‘very inadequate’.
• Over seven out of ten (71%) said the amount of UC they received was lower than they are used to living on.
• More than a third (38%) said their outgoings had increased in the period before they had to claim for UC and now, with a majority (56%) reporting that their spending had gone up on necessities like heating and electricity (50%), food (40%), and housing costs aside from rent (27%).
• Almost two in three (64%) had to cut down on at least one basic necessity during their UC claim, with one in five (20%) cutting down on food.
• Over one in four (27%) had to borrow money in order to pay for essentials.

With this in mind, the UK Government’s decision to cut UC by £20 a week in September is a step in the wrong direction. Our research found that:

• Most said they would be unable to cope if their UC income dropped, with 61% unable to cope if it dropped by £10 per week, 74% unable to cope if it dropped by £20 per week, and 78% unable to cope if it dropped by £30 per week.
• If these cuts went ahead, 26% said they would be unable to pay for essentials and 14% said they would be unable to buy food.

The UK Government must urgently review and uprate the level of support UC offers to ensure no-one is left without essentials. Increasing UC is the right thing to do, both to protect individuals from hardship and to support our post-pandemic economic recovery.

Following CAS’ initial 2021 submission to the Low Pay Commission, we had further engagement from advisers in the Citizens Advice Bureau Network’s Employment Specialist Forum. Advisers shared additional insight and evidence from their frontline experience on issues for low paid workers, including:

• Low pay and non-payment of statutory minimum wage rates
• Furlough and Covid-19 changes
• Social security
• Enforcement of employment rights

Citizens Advice Scotland welcomes the positive changes made so far in the latest version of the regulations, but based on evidence from clients and advisers with experience of the current social security system, some concerns remain in a number of areas.

In Scotland, 14% of all homes are privately-rented. The private rented sector has below average standards of repair and energy efficiency, having both the greatest proportion of properties with low Energy Performance Certificates and those failing to meet the Scottish Housing Quality Standard.

Informed by a review of recent literature and engagement with Scottish Land and Estates (SLE) and the Scottish Association of Landlords (SAL), CAS asked landlords, letting agents and estate managers a number of questions on energy efficiency to understand issues in the sector and what needs to be done to improve the energy efficiency of housing stock in the private rented sector.

This report identifies issues and makes a series of recommendations as to how housing in the sector can be improved and provide tenants with warmer, better quality homes while reducing emissions as Scotland moves towards Net Zero.

Between December 2020 and March 2021, the Scottish Government consulted on the first draft of new regulations for Adult Disability Payment (ADP). In June 2021, the Scottish Government published their response to this consultation. Citizens Advice Scotland welcomed encouraging signs in the latest government proposals, but CAS is calling for further change to get Adult Disability Payment right for disabled people in Scotland.

CAS supports in principle Scottish Ministers having the ability to suspend payment of disability assistance in certain prescribed circumstances, particularly when it would prevent a claim being closed altogether. CAS welcome the safeguards introduced and have one recommendation as to how safeguarding could be improved.

The absence provision to suspend can create particular difficulties for children whose parents separate, for example due to domestic violence, and the parent in receipt of the benefit is not the parent who has custody of the child. However, CAS hope this power will only be used in limited circumstances. CAS welcome that entitlement will be maintained in suspension cases prescribed.

In April 2021, Citizens Advice Scotland commissioned a survey of 1000 adults from YouGov. The survey was aimed at gauging consumer knowledge of, and engagement with the subjects of energy and water efficiency, climate change, and low carbon heating. The findings and analysis of this work are available in our Consumer Voices report which can be downloaded at the link below.

MPs debated delivery charges in the Highlands and Islands at Westminster on 8 June 2021. CAS has campaigned on this issue for a number of years - read CAS's briefing to MPs here.