The creation of a Scottish watchdog to represent the interests of consumers is now in sight following the publication of The Consumer Protection Bill.
The Bill details how a new organisation of advocacy and advice called Consumer Scotland will be set up to generate improved service, greater value for money and better buying choices for Scots shoppers. A member will be appointed by the Scottish Ministers to chair Consumer Scotland and between two and four other members will also be appointed by the Government.
It is envisaged that Consumer Scotland will become a dedicated champion for consumers across Scotland, focused on investigating consumer harm and developing solutions to tackle it.
This is a timely and welcome move from the Government. Here at Jackson Boyd we regularly advise clients on their rights in terms of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and have taken many rouge traders to court to force them to right their wrongs. Between the legislation and the creation of this new service, empowered consumers can drive up standards in consumer facing business and services.
