CONSUMER SCOTLAND
STRATEGIC BOARD MEETING
Tuesday 18th November 2025
10:15-13:15
Thistle House, Edinburgh
Minute
Board Members present:
David Wilson, Chair (DW)
Nick Martin, Member (NM)
Angela Morgan, Member (AM)
James Walker, Member (JW)
Also in attendance:
Sam Ghibaldan, Chief Executive
Sue Bomphray, Director of Operations and Partnerships
David Eiser, Director of Research, Analysis and Investigations
Douglas White, Director of Policy and Advocacy
Gemma Black, Secretariat
Apologies:
None
Welcome and Declaration of Interest
1. The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting.
2. No conflicts of interest were declared for the meeting.
Actions
3. The minutes from the previous meeting, held on 23rd September, were approved.
4. For the Action Tracker, the Director of Operations and Partnerships advised the following updates:
-
- Item 155: Consumer Principles paper water to be brought in December.
- Item 219: Effectiveness of grant funding: date updated and this will now be brought at the end of the financial year.
- Item 229 & 239: Director of Operations and Partnerships will set up a separate teams session for the Board on the Medium-long Term Financial Strategy.
- Item 241: Further paper on Accommodation to follow in December.
- Item 244: ICG have been invited to December meeting.
- Item 245: Queries surrounding payroll and comments noted on the tracker.
- Item 248: Blog to be published before the December meeting.
- The board noted the following actions were complete: 213, 246, 247.
Key issues update and general discussion
5. The Chief Executive advised that a second procurement process for the Independent Performance Review was underway.
6. The Chief Executive advised that he had written to the Scottish Government with our budget ask for 2026-27, explaining our commitment to the public service reform agenda and covering core funding for Consumer Scotland, and grant funding for other organisations. He stated that the significant pressure on public funding was expected to impact all public bodies, and that discussions with the government were underway.
7. He further noted that the Scottish Government was focusing on reducing ‘back office’ costs, though it was unclear how those were defined and that part of the case Consumer Scotland was making was that consumer advice services should be considered ‘frontline’. The Director of Operations and Partnerships noted that we expect to receive a letter from SG confirming our draft budget allocation in the near future.
8. A significant factor in Consumer Scotland’s decisions on its own core budgeting would be the civil service pay settlement reached by the Scottish Government of 4% for 2025-26 and 3.5% for 2026-27, and the requirement to pay for Oracle costs from 2026-27.
9. A full options paper on accommodation would be brought to December meeting. However discussions are in an advanced stage with another organisation with whom we could share with in Glasgow.
10. The Chair noted that the Economy and Fair Work Committee session is an important annual activity and there are important messages from our recent session regarding communication and engagement. The Chief Executive has written to the Committee with further information about issues discussed during the session. A number of relevant areas of work were underway including:
-
- Updating and assessing our performance, drawing on work by Internal Audit and the Statutory Performance Review.
- Improving how we communicate and engage with stakeholders, including parliamentarians, and consumers.
11. The Chair noted his formal thanks to Chief Executive and Director of Operations and Partnerships for appearance at the Committee, and as an extension to the wider team for their efforts before and after the appearance.
12. The Chief Executive noted a letter of thanks that had been sent to the Head of General Markets in relation to our work on behalf of former clients of the legal firm McLures. An action was taken that this would be circulated to the Board.
13. The Chair briefly updated the Board members on Board Recruitment, noting that the process has been positive and that he is confident that we’ll have appointable candidates. Thanks were offered to Director of Operations and Partnerships for support in the process
Committee for Consumers in Vulnerable Circumstances Update
14. The Chair noted that the next CCVC meeting was the following day and the minutes haven’t been formally approved yet but they have been shared here with this session in mind. The general feeling from Committee regarding their involvement is positive, and that they are focussed on the right things with potential for more to come. There is much value in having a wide range of organisations involved, and there have been practical outcomes.
-
- The Director of Policy and Advocacy noted that the committee had a multi-faceted role which has included: Advice regarding research principles
- Operational advice such as the Research Framework, acting as a critical friend
- Additional advice and guidance across a range of sectors and issues.
- Bringing external partners before committee members to offer them the chance to offer insight and perspective from other organisations
- The initial membership of the committee was carefully considered. Everybody who has joined is keen to contribute and is engaged rather than seeing it a box ticking exercise. The committee Chair has a commitment to following up with people who have been unable to attend, which has maintained engagement. It was noted that Committee members have a three year term with Terms of Reference to support.
15. It was noted that the draft Consumer Welfare Report structure will be taken to the next Committee meeting to seek their feedback. The Chair noted that AI and online harm more generally are topics on which it may be helpful to get the committee’s insight.
16. The Chair offered thanks for the update. It was agreed that the Chair would attend the first meeting of the Committee next year.
Work Programme Planning and Approval Cycle
17. The Director of Policy noted that the purpose of today is to update the Board on the current stage in process, and will be aiming to bring the Work Programme for approval in December. There was a positive response to last year’s Work Programme and we intend to retain many of its features. In addition, we would develop a strong ‘golden thread’ setting our work programme in the context of our statutory outcomes and functions. It was noted that there would be substantive discussion of the draft Work Programme at the December Board meeting, and that members would have the opportunity for subsequent written comments, prior to publication in January.
Internal Champions Groups Preparatory Work:
Sustainability, Equality Diversity and Inclusion, Cyber
18. The Director of Operations and Partnerships introduced the Champion groups to the session and advised that these groups have been set up and have started scoping out their work ahead of engaging with their nominated board champions. The Chair reminded the Board that the groups are not there to replace the functions within the organisation.
19. Each team presented and took questions from the Board.
20. Cyber:
-
- Noted that we have access to the Upskilling Fund from Scottish Government. This fund of £7k is to be used before Year End.
- Mandatory training will be implemented for all.
- We are regularly tested by SG for phishing.
21. EDI:
-
- Statutory reporting obligations – Consumer Scotland are not yet on the schedule of bodies but expect to be added in due course.
- EDI training is scheduled for all staff and a Board session will be arranged in due course.
22. Sustainability:
-
- The Chair noted that mandatory Carbon literacy training is supported and encouraged, and that it would be helpful what is Consumer Scotland’s unique selling proposition is at a corporate level.
- Other similar sized organisations have mandatory reporting requirements which don’t yet apply to us, but we are mindful that we will be added to the reporting schedules in due course. We did submit voluntary reporting in November 2023.
23. The Chair noted that mandatory training should be available and encouraged in all of these areas and the champions were thanked for their helpful presentations to the Board.
AOB
24. There being no other business, the meeting closed.