The Scottish Fuel Poverty Advisory Panel Annual Report March 2023 – April 2024

We’re pleased to publish our first annual report. As this is our first annual report, we have set out the work we have done since our appointment in January 2022. We reflect on the significant increase in fuel poverty rates, from 24.6% in 2019 to 31% in 2022, driven by the energy crisis and the wider cost of living crisis, and the impact these have had on those suffering and entering fuel poverty. This is the context which has dictated and shaped our work since we were appointed.

The Scottish Fuel Poverty Advisory Panel Annual Report 2023-2024.pdf

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Members of the Panel

There are 5 panel members who were all appointed through a public appointments process. They are:

Matthew Cole – The Chair – Matt heads up the Fuel Bank Foundation, which provides same-day financial support and proactive advice to families living without heat or power, using the lived experience of the 1.5m people helped to date to influence and shape government policy and industry standards, and to drive a renewed focus on delivering great customer outcomes back across the energy industry. Matt also independently advocates on behalf of the most vulnerable across the utilities’ sector and works to drive different strategies to better ensure that customer needs are understood and met as part of a just transition to net zero.

Margaret Corrigan – Margaret is recently retired from managing front-line fuel poverty services, where she worked for 9 years. She has seen first-hand the struggles and subsequent impact on those families living in fuel poverty.

Kirsten Jenkins – Kirsten is a Senior Lecturer in Energy, Environment and Society within the Science, Technology and Innovation Studies group at the University of Edinburgh and Programme Director for the Energy, Society and Sustainability MSc. Alongside her lectureship, Kirsten serves as Managing Editor for the journal Energy Research & Social Science, Associate Fellow of the Durham Energy Institute, and external examiner to postgraduate programmes in Development, Environment and Policy at SOAS University of London. Kirsten also runs two large international energy social science networks and works on research grants related to fuel and transport poverty, inclusivity in the energy transition and Just Transitions.

Alister Steele – Alister has 30 years’ experience in delivering affordable housing and community regeneration. As Managing Director of Castle Rock Housing Association, he led the development and implementation of the organisation’s energy and fuel poverty strategies. He co-founded and chaired Our Power, a not-for-profit energy supply business, and is currently a Board member of Communities Housing Trust and Allia Social Impact Investments.

Fraser Stewart – Fraser is the Just Transitions Lead at the energy consultancy Regen, working with everyone from citizens and communities to energy networks to policymakers and regulators to ensure fairness is built into every bit of the energy system. Fraser brings an intimate knowledge both from a personal and a real-world standpoint, in addition to strong knowledge of policy processes, design, and analysis at local, Scottish, and UK level.

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