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Publications

  1. Issue 8 of the Citizens Advice Scotland network magazine
    Citizens Advice Scotland
    Publication date:
    April 2022

    Welcome to the Spring 2022 edition of Voice Magazine. 

    As we all return to a more normal working life, we talk to Renfrewshire CAB about the innovative approaches they have taken to fill unfunded roles and to welcome new volunteers into the bureau.  In this issue we also take a look at the range of work taking place across the network to help people in Scotland address the current cost of living crisis. We talk to Edinburgh CAB colleagues about how they approached our recent Debt Happens campaign and we speak to Aberdeen and Fife about how they have built relationships and forged partnerships with their local authorities to the benefit of clients.

    We meet some of the new Advice Services Team who explain how they hope to work with the network and we offer up some top tips for getting some local media coverage for your bureaux and promoting the great work you do.   

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  2. Aoife Deery
    Publication date:
    April 2022
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  3. Polly Tolley
    Publication date:
    April 2022

    CAS response to the Finance and Public Administration Committee Inquiry into National Outcomes

  4. Aoife Deery
    Publication date:
    April 2022
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  5. Citizens Advice Scotland have responded to Ofcom's discussion paper on the regulators future approach to mobile markets.
    Kyle Scott
    Publication date:
    April 2022

    The day-to-day activities of citizens are becoming increasingly dependent on their ability to use telecommunications services, such as mobile phones, broadband or landlines. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the essential nature of online connectivity and access to internet data, with many people relying on internet access for working from home, staying informed, or interacting with welfare services, and friends and family.

     

    For clients of the Scottish Citizens Advice network, their mobile phones have become increasingly important in accessing vital online services; with one in five of our clients accessing the internet only through their smart phones. Having a reliable, consistent and affordable mobile connection is essential for clients to access services such as Universal Credit journals and online banking.

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  6. CAS Briefing paper on Postal Services in Scotland
    Madeleine Kennedy
    Publication date:
    April 2022

    Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) has served as Scotland’s designated consumer advocacy body for postal services for the past 8 years. From 1 April 2022, this function will be transferred to Consumer Scotland. During our time as the consumer advocate, we have made sure that the voice of Scottish postal consumers has been heard by regulators and service providers alike. Our work has been focused on making postal services accessible and affordable for all consumers, no matter where they live, or what their income level or personal characteristics may be.

    This briefing highlights the key issues facing postal market consumers in Scotland today.

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  7. Publication date:
    April 2022

     

     

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  8. Publication date:
    April 2022

    This briefing presents the impact of the Scottish Citizens Advice network over the last few years, and its value to the communities it serves. 

  9. Polly Tolley
    Publication date:
    April 2022

    Citizens Advice Scotland has responded to the Scottish Government's consultation on the Resource Spending Review. You can download our response below. 

  10. An analysis of homelessness advice cases provided by Scotland’s CAB network
    Rhiannon Sims (Crisis) and Stephanie Millar (CAS)
    Publication date:
    March 2022

    This report is published jointly by CAS and the homelessness charity Crisis. 

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  11. Madeleine Kennedy
    Publication date:
    March 2022

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

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  12. CAS briefing on polling conducted with SMEs on postal services
    Madeleine Kennedy
    Publication date:
    March 2022

    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.



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  13. Publication date:
    March 2022

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

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  14. Katy Haigh
    Publication date:
    March 2022

    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.

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  15. Alastair Wilcox
    Publication date:
    February 2022

    CAS is enthusiastic about the potential for the devolution of winter heating benefits to drive a meaningful improvement in the rates and lived experience of fuel poverty in Scotland. Done well, devolution of Cold Weather Payments (CWPs) and the Winter Fuel Payment (WFP), taken alongside the assistance provided by the Warm Home Discount (WHD) scheme, the Scottish Government’s fuel poverty and energy efficiency programmes, and additional support for vulnerable households such as the Child Winter Heating Assistance, could create a coherent package of measures which work together more effectively to reduce inequality and improve the health and wellbeing of citizens most vulnerable to the effects of living in a cold home.

    We agree that reforms to the existing CWP scheme could deliver greater consumer benefits than the scheme that currently exists. However, we do not agree that the Scottish Government’s proposals for Low Income Winter Heating Assistance (LIWHA) achieve this. Indeed, we are concerned that for many consumers, LIWHA will often make fuel poverty, and in particular extreme fuel poverty, worse. Evidence also strongly suggests that in a cold winter, LIWHA is likely to prove prejudicial to the health of many vulnerable low income households. We are extremely concerned about the negative consumer outcomes this will deliver, including the impact on winter mortality. CAS cannot support a policy that holds significant potential to increase inequality and endanger the health and wellbeing of consumers in Scotland, and as a result we cannot support the Scottish Government’s proposals for LIWHA in their current form. We are however mindful of the tight deadlines to which the Scottish Government is working to deliver the devolution of CWPs before the end of 2022. We therefore propose a practical series of evidence-led actions that we believe would safely deliver a Minimum Viable Product to the required timeframes which significantly improves on the current CWP scheme and to which future improvements can be made as time and resources allow

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  16. Andrew Fraser
    Publication date:
    February 2022

    Citizens Advice Scotland has responded to the consultation run by the Scottish Parliament's COVID-19 Recovery Committee

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  17. Citizens Advice Scotland
    Publication date:
    February 2022

    This is the Annual Report for Citizens Advice Scotland for the 2020-21 financial year.

  18. David Scott
    Publication date:
    January 2022

    A new CAS report looks at how UC supported five groups who seek advice from CAB every day: people who are newly out of work; people who are looking for work; people who are in work; people who are unable to work due to caring responsibilities or a disability; and finally people with children.

    Our research found real gaps in the support UC offered to these people. But our report also suggests fixes. Five policy changes would strengthen UC significantly, ensuring our social security system remains accessible and effective for everyone.

    With the cost of living continuing to rise, we need to ask if UC is a strong enough safety net. Investing in social security is the right thing to do for our economic recovery.

  19. Publication date:
    January 2022

    CAS has responded to the Scottish Legal Aid Board's consultation on civil legal aid financial eligibility assessment

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  20. Emma Ash
    Publication date:
    January 2022

    This report examines the value of 'blue-green infrastructure' and how the use of nature-based drainage solutions can mitigate flooding risks as well as benefit communities. In doing so the report addresses the need for community engagement, effective communication and where blue-green solutions fit into Scotland's infrastructure vision. 

    The research comprises of three key elements:

    • Developing an understanding of how local authorities and housing associations meet the challenges of developing blue-green infrastructure, as part of creating positive living environments.
    • Establishing how people understand the terms and concepts used in relation to the field and the water sector more broadly.
    • Collaborative discussion of the main issues identified with other stakeholders in the sector.

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