SLCC Consumer Panel

This year saw the Consumer Panel advising the SLCC on a number of areas of improvement work. Throughout the year, the Panel provides reflections on the customer feedback the SLCC receives, which informs the development of forthcoming service experience improvements. It also fed into the Service Experience Team’s work on ‘chill factors’ that might put people off making a complaint and provided feedback on updated content on the SLCC website for consumers on using a lawyer.

The Panel continued to provide a strong voice for consumers in the debate on the Regulation of Legal Services (Scotland) Bill, including giving oral evidence to the committee and providing a briefing for MSPs in advance of the stage one debate in parliament.

The Panel has continued to highlight the need for the consumer voice to be heard in these discussions to deliver reforms that truly meet consumer needs and inspire public confidence.

The Panel remains concerned about the lack of consumer research and insight to inform consumer-focused regulation. The Panel has also welcomed the broader remit being proposed for its work as part of the Bill but continued to express concerns about the lack of resource to support this.

The discussion about the Panel’s role and its resources will continue to be a key feature of the reform debate in the coming year and the Panel and the SLCC will work together to consider how they can use their respective statutory duties and functions to deliver the consumer insight needed to inform consumer-focused regulation.