CONSUMER SCOTLAND
GOVERNANCE BOARD MEETING
Tuesday 17th March
13:30 – 16:30
Virtual, via Microsoft Teams
Board Members present:
David Wilson, Chair (DW)
Jane Clark Hutchison (JC)
Marion McDonald (MM)
Angela Morgan (AM)
James Walker (JW)
Also in attendance:
Sam Ghibaldan, Chief Executive (SGh)
Sue Bomphray, Director of Operations and Partnerships (SB)
David Eiser, Director of Research, Analysis and Investigations (DE)
Douglas White, Director of Policy and Advocacy (DW)
Elaine Lorimer (item 3) (EL)
Jill Rosie, Assistant Director of Operations and Partnerships (items 3 and 8) (JR)
Craig McClue, Head of Investigations (item 11) (CM)
Gemma Black, Secretariat (GB)
Apologies:
None
1 - Welcome and Declarations of Interest
The Chair officially opened the meeting, welcoming everyone and inviting declarations of interest. JW declared his involvement with a Scottish Government Airport Tax advisory meeting, and it was noted as a Transparency Statement. No other declarations of interest were raised.
The Chair also formally noted the appointment of MM as the Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee (ARC) and JCH as an ARC committee member.
2 - Minutes and Actions from Previous Board Meetings
The Chair moved to the review and approval of the minutes from the Board meeting held on 11th February 2026 and the previous Audit and Risk Committee. The minutes were agreed upon without any objections. The Director of Operations and Partnerships provided an update on the action tracker, mentioning ongoing efforts to arrange visits to Advice Direct Scotland, the Extra Help Unit in Glasgow, and a heat network. She noted that a paper on grants would be discussed later in the meeting by Assistant Director of Operations and Partnerships. The Director of Operations and Partnerships also highlighted a reduction in Oracle costs for the next year and efforts to reduce the number of roles on Oracle to further cut costs. Plans to arrange EDI training for the board by the end of June were confirmed.
3 - Strategic Review of Performance – Report
The Chair welcomed Elaine Lorimer to the meeting to present the Strategic Review of Performance report. She began by expressing her gratitude for the support she received from Catriona Kirk, the Assistant Director of Operations and Partnerships, and the Director of Operations and Partnerships, which enabled her to produce the report within the given timeframe. Ms Lorimer summarised her findings, highlighting the achievements of Consumer Scotland in its first three years, including setting up the organisation, building a strong evidence base, establishing good relationships with stakeholders, taking on new functions and developing and maintaining high staff morale. She noted the unqualified audit and reasonable assurance from internal audit as indicators of a strong foundation.
Ms Lorimer emphasised the need for Consumer Scotland to further develop its strategic voice in Scotland, leveraging its unique position as the only statutory body of its kind. She pointed out potential issues with the funding model, suggesting it could lead to an imbalance in resourcing. Ms Lorimer recommended using the upcoming strategic plan as an opportunity to recalibrate long-term goals, engage in strategic conversations with government, and address funding challenges.
Ms Lorimer concluded by emphasising the importance of demonstrating Consumer Scotland's positive impact and engaging support for the next strategic plan.
In discussion, Board members responded positively to Ms Lorimer's report, recognising the challenges and opportunities outlined, and the funding model challenges.
4 - Chief Executive Update
The Chief Executive provided an update on recent developments. He began by discussing the report published detailing recommendations for the Scottish Government about targeting energy bill support for consumers with terminal illnesses. The estimated cost for this initiative ranges between £4 million and £6 million, potentially benefiting around 13,000 people at any given time, according to Social Security Scotland statistics. This initiative had received supportive media coverage.
The Chief Executive also spoke about the ongoing discussions about heating oil and the Iran crisis, mentioning engagements with the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to ensure the issues affecting consumers in Scotland are being picked up through their work. The Chief Executive mentioned the positive recognition from the First Minister during First Minister's Questions, where the organisation was praised as a 'very good organisation that serves us well.' He also noted his attendance at meeting called by the Secretary of State for Energy Security to discuss the response to the impact on energy prices of events in the Middle East.
In Post, the Chief Executive noted that our response to Ofcom’s Call for Input on Affordability highlights that any targeted affordability scheme would need to be alongside universal price protection, in line with other monopoly markets. The Post team have also extended our evidence base on postal disruption and reviewed other parcel operators’ practices. Board members commended the organisation on the work related to postal services.
It was noted that, outside of the pre-election period, board members were welcome to raise the organisation's profile on social media.
5 - Management Accounts
The Director of Operations and Partnerships presented the latest management accounts, noting that the forecasted outcome is expected to be just under £70,000 before statutory elements are added. These elements include flexi and annual leave accruals, additional accruals, and notional fees or related depreciations. The Director of Operations and Partnerships expressed confidence in the buffer available to cover these adjustments.
The Chair formally recorded the board's appreciation for the excellent management of the budget, acknowledging the hard work of the Director of Operations and Partnerships and the team in achieving this outcome. He noted the challenges involved in landing the budget precisely and expressed gratitude for the team's efforts.
6 - Budget 2026-27
The Director of Operations and Partnerships then discussed the budget for the next year, explaining the funding structure and the confirmation of the core budget from the Scottish Government. She mentioned the pending confirmation of the budget from DBT, which is expected towards the end of April or early May. The overall funding for the next year is anticipated to be £8.5 million, with nearly half allocated to grants. The remaining funding includes £2.7 million for core operations and £2 million from the levy across energy, post, water, and heat networks.
The Director of Operations and Partnerships highlighted the tight provisional forecast budget for 2027-28, which, unaddressed, would result in a deficit of around £350,000. She mentioned the board's previous discussions on this matter and noted there is a plan in place to address the deficit.
The Board confirmed approval of the budget, subject to the caveat that final funding from DBT is to be confirmed and will follow in due course.
8 - Grant Funding
The Assistant Director of Operations and Partnerships introduced the grant funding paper, outlining the accountability for delivering five funding streams. This would increase to seven funding streams in April with the transfer of responsibility from the Scottish Government for the energy and post advice levy. The Assistant Director of Operations and Partnerships emphasised the importance of governance, value for money, and streamlining delivery between Consumer Scotland and third sector delivery partners.
The Assistant Director of Operations and Partnerships highlighted the challenges in delivering good value for money due to the current consumer landscape setup and the need for a landscape review to identify efficiencies, noting examples of successful partnership approaches, such as the work on heat networks funding with Advice Direct Scotland and Citizens Advice Scotland. This collaboration was focused on ensuring consistent advice across the consumer landscape.
The Assistant Director of Operations and Partnerships outlined immediate actions for the next year, including strengthening links between delivery work plans and statutory functions, clear messaging around public service reform, data improvement, and a consolidated grant approach.
Board members expressed strong support for the direction of travel and the proposals, emphasising the importance of the landscape review for the strategic plan.
The Chair summarised the board's approval for the ongoing work, noting the interrelated challenges and the need for further discussions. The Landscape review is expected to begin in July, and to be published by the end of the calendar year.
9 - Work Programme – Final Approval
The Chair invited the Director of Policy and Advocacy to introduce the annual work programme, who explained its statutory requirement and the process of consultation with stakeholders. The work programme also serves as a consolidated document for grant funding authorisation from the Department of Business and Trade and the Scottish Government water team.
The Director of Policy and Advocacy explained the efforts to group the work programme under the desired consumer outcomes. The plan also captures the leadership role within the advice sector and incorporates that into the understanding of outcomes.
The Director of Policy and Advocacy noted that the Work Programme needs to be laid before Parliament by 25th March, when the pre-election period begins.
The Director of Policy and Advocacy detailed the diverse range of organisations who had responded to the consultation including industry providers, regulatory bodies, consumer organisations, and academic entities. He emphasised the importance of bilateral conversations with key stakeholders, such as the Scottish Government and UK government departments, and engagement with the Consumer Network for Scotland and the Advisory Committee for Consumers in Vulnerable Circumstances.
The Board formally approved the Work Programme.
10 - Staff Survey
The Director of Operations and Partnerships introduced the annual staff survey, explaining that due to the organisation's size, it is conducted internally but replicates the Scottish Government's question set. The survey results were excellent, with a 72% satisfaction rate, up 4% from the previous year and significantly higher than some other parts of the public sector. The Director of Operations and Partnerships highlighted strong areas such as work, management, team dynamics, inclusion, and fair treatment. Areas for improvement included learning and development.
The Director of Operations and Partnerships acknowledged the challenge of providing career opportunities within a small organisation but stated our commitment to staff development even if it leads to them moving to other organisations.
The Board praised the survey results and suggested timely updates to staff about actions being taken.
11 - Investigations – Review of Governance
The Chair welcomed the Head of Investigations to the meeting to present the governance review of the investigations function. He explained the process for selecting and prioritising investigations, outlining the stages, from initial assessment of potential topics to detailed scoping and regular updates to the executive team and board. The framework ensures transparent, evidence-led, and strategically targeted investigations.
The Chair acknowledged the framework's judicious approach. Board members expressed support for the document and emphasised the strategic value of the investigations function.
The Board approved the updated review of the investigations governance.
12 - Any Other Business (AOB)
It was confirmed to the Board that the ARC will run as it is for the time being, enabling the new Chair of the ARC to reach a view on any changes she wished to recommend.
There being no other business, the meeting closed.