Chair's Foreword

Our approach helps us to focus on what’s important in times of uncertainty, as we work together with others to make the progress we all want to see. I’ve seen that firsthand this year in my engagement with stakeholders and in our Board discussions. My thanks go to the Board and to our dedicated staff team for their support, drive and delivery, and to everyone who has worked with us this year.

I am proud to present this report covering our work and outlining some of the improvements and impact the SLCC has delivered in 2023/24 – not least because they have been achieved against a backdrop of continued work on legislative reform and significant external demands on the organisation.

This year we saw complaint numbers rise significantly, driven particularly by the closure of one firm. Alongside the implications for our complaint handling capacity, we also devoted significant additional resources to helping those affected and engaging with wider stakeholder interest in this difficult issue. I’d like to record my thanks to everyone who worked with us to achieve the best possible outcomes for consumers in what was for so many a troubling set of circumstances. Throughout the year the Board has considered the strategic implications of this situation for both the organisation and the sector in general.

More broadly the Board and Executive have taken a rigorous approach to expenditure in the context of a budget based on what we knew at the time of laying it in Parliament in April 2023, and with demand-led costs for appeals and court action in relation to securing law firm files, both of which are largely out of our control.

This year has also seen further activity on the Regulation of Legal Services (Scotland) Bill which provides an opportunity to make real improvements to the complaints system, but which has been significantly delayed. We’ve continued to work with stakeholders to make sure our expertise and experience informs the legislation and its implementation.

In the context of what has been a busy and demanding year, I’m also pleased to report that we delivered good performance against our key performance indicators, alongside improvements in our accessibility, customer service, and the influence we’ve brought to bear on complaint handling across the sector. That work continues as we look forward to the year ahead with projects underway focused on equality, insight and efficiency.

This report also marks the end of our 2020-24 strategy. The strategy began as we emerged from the first Covid lockdown and has seen us update our ways of working, deliver a cost-saving office move and become a fully digital organisation, all while delivering significant improvements in our service.

That ability to plan and deliver in uncertain circumstances will serve us well as we look ahead to the conclusion of the reform debate and the implementation of the changes it delivers. It’s a challenging task, but on the evidence of the past year, it’s a challenge I’m confident we will rise to.