Public

This briefing summarises the key findings of research conducted by YouGov in November 2021. The polling reflects the experiences of 500 senior decision makers in small to medium enterprises (SMEs) in Scotland.

CAS has responded to Ofcom's consultation on the regulatory framework for postal services for the next 5 years. 

CAS has responded to a Scottish Government consultation on proposed increases to court fees in Scotland. 

The competitive water market in Scotland was launched in April 2008. This report explores small to medium business customers’ experiences of the market. It brings together policy insights and market developments with evidence from recently commissioned research. Recommendations are provided which, when actioned by the market, will deliver offerings that have been informed by service users to improve consumer outcomes.

Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) welcomes the Scottish Government’s support for improving working practices across Scotland. Progress on equal employment access and pay for women, minority ethnic, and disabled workers is welcome, as is the commitment to introduce a requirement on public sector grants recipients to pay at least the real Living Wage to all employees by summer 2022. These actions will improve working conditions for many.

However, the majority of people CAB see every day do not work in the sectors supported by the most ambitious Fair Work plans. They will instead be in low-paid and insecure work, often facing violations of very basic employment rights. For these people, the first step to a Fair Work Nation must be better enforcement of their already-existing rights.

Advice services like CAB play an important role in informing people about their employment rights, giving them a more effective voice in challenging unfair work practices. This is particularly necessary for low-paid jobs where union membership is likely to be less concentrated.

In 2020-21, Scotland’s Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) network gave 74,994 pieces of employment advice to clients – 8% of all advice provided across the network last year – making employment the third most popular advice area, behind social security and debt advice.