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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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Publication date:June 2017
“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.”
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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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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 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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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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Publication date:May 2017Different Rules for Different Fuels examines consumer and supplier experience of district heating in Scotland in relation to consumer protection, and what consumer protection measures could be implemented in Scotland. The CFU is calling for greater protection for consumers in Scotland who use district heating schemes, based on research carried out by Changeworks and the Centre for Sustainable Energy on behalf of the CFU.
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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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Consultation Response from Consumer Futures UnitPublication date:April 2017The Scottish Government's consultation on introducing local heat and energy efficiency strategies and the regulation of district heating presents an opportunity to further embed consumer principles in energy markets, and tackle fuel poverty. In this substantial response, the Consumer Futures Unit has presented unique evidence to inform the development of these strategies, and the content of regulation, to ensure the interests of consumers are at their heart.
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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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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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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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Publication date:March 2017
As part of the Scottish Government funding to help bureaux mitigate the impact of Social Security changes, CAS commissioned an external researcher to carry out qualitative research to increase our understanding of:
- The main drivers of effective partnerships between bureaux and other organisations in reaching out to individuals
- The benefits to the organisations involved
- The added-value for clients supported.
The study also set out to capture the impact on individuals and the bureaux as a result of the changes to social security benefits and the roll out of Universal Credit.
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Publication date:March 2017This is the Annual Report for Citizens Advice Scotland for the 2015-16 financial year. It was approved at the Citizens Advice Scotland AGM on 28 March 2017.
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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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Publication date:March 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 fuel poverty in Scotland.
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Publication date:March 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 recent energy price rises by major suppliers in Great Britain.
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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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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.