Who We Are

The Scottish Fuel Poverty Advisory Panel – appointed on 1st January 2022 – share vast knowledge across many aspects of fuel poverty and how it impacts people every day.

Between them all they have experience in working directly with those struggling to manage their energy bills and providing support, are familiar with strategies around tackling fuel poverty, and also first-hand and real-life experience of how difficult life can be when fuel bills become unaffordable.

Meet our Chair

Matthew Cole is a passionate champion of consumers across the energy landscape. He ensures that their circumstances are understood, their needs are better met, and their stories are told.

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 750k 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 is the chair of the Scottish Government’s Fuel Poverty Advisory Panel, and continues to advocate and provide a voice for some of the unique energy-related issues encountered by the most vulnerable groups in society. He also independently chairs the Energy Switch Guarantee, a trust mark established by the energy sector to drive customer improvements above and beyond the regulatory baseline.

Meet the Panel Members

Meet the Secretariat

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