What we do
The Panel provides an independent voice for Scottish Ministers on fuel poverty matters, fostering co-operation across the fuel poverty landscape, and fulfilling its statutory duty of monitoring Scottish Ministers’ progress towards meeting Scotland’s statutory fuel poverty targets. This includes assessing the likelihood of the Scottish Government meeting those targets, how the four drivers of fuel poverty are being addressed, and how effectively the implementation of Scotland’s Tackling Fuel Poverty Strategy is working to deliver the targets and address the fuel poverty drivers.
Our March 2024 to April 2027 Strategic Plan sets out our strategic goals for the next three years which underpin our vision and mission.
The Panel’s vision is for a Scotland where everyone lives in an energy efficient home and has access to affordable and clean energy – a Scotland where no one lives in fuel poverty.
The Panel’s work is driven by its mission:
- to strengthen fuel poverty policy, legislation and practice in Scotland and the UK
- to eradicate fuel poverty and increase resilience by engaging with people with lived experience and those who support them; and
- by advising Scottish Ministers, scrutinising progress, and advocating for action.
In establishing our workplan, we have drawn on our principles, particularly that of “understanding”, to shape our priorities. We do so in the light of what people affected by fuel poverty and organisations supporting and supplying services to them, have told us about fuel poverty in Scotland now. Our principles are that we are:
- Undertake work that is independent and objective.
- Be open and transparent, bringing our Code of Conduct principles to all that we do.
- Work in an inquisitive, consultative, and collaborative way, including in the development, delivery and sharing of our thinking and advice.
- Provide visionary and dynamic advice and input to both long term challenges and the response to immediate need.
- Be respectful and supportive listeners to all, particularly offering a safe space for those with lived experience of fuel poverty to share their insights, understanding and views.
Our workplan is also shaped by our seven strategic goals:
- We will advocate for the eradication of fuel poverty by relationship building, and through evidence-based policy development and delivery in Scotland, and in the UK where appropriate.
- We will be informed by evidence from a wide range of sources and stakeholders, including those with lived experience and the organisations that support them.
- We will offer insights and reflections to support Scottish Government to improve short-term and long-term responses to Scotland’s shifting fuel poverty landscape.
- We will provide an independent view of Scottish Government’s progress towards and likelihood of achieving Scotland’s statutory fuel poverty targets.
- We will advocate for actions and solutions to address the drivers of fuel poverty across, and in line with, all the relevant policy areas which contribute to National Performance Framework outcomes.
- We will champion and foster a collaborative approach to challenging fuel poverty drivers and other structural causes, identifying and encouraging actions to address fuel poverty with stakeholders across the public, private and third sectors.
- We will establish and maintain a strong values-led governance framework to ensure the effectiveness of the Panel.
Annex A shows how the work we have planned maps to our strategic goals.