Viewpoint / Local Citizens Advice manager reflects on ‘exceptionally busy’ year
Shetland Islands Citizens Advice Bureau manager Della Armstrong shares with Shetland News her reflections on 2025 – and a look to the year ahead too
2025 has been another exceptionally busy year for the team at Shetland Islands Citizens Advice Bureau (SICAB).
The early months of the year were dominated by ongoing delays to smart meter installations and the serious concerns surrounding the RTS switch-off. SICAB played a key role in arranging the highly successful OVO Energy Advice Event at Sound Hall, which enabled almost 1,000 Shetland residents to access face-to-face support from billing advisers, RTS specialists and engineers.
In total, 1,235 Shetland energy consumers sought our help with issues relating to the smart meter rollout and the RTS switch-off. Many clients experienced difficulties with digital connectivity, installation delays and complex historical metering arrangements. We are also seeing a growing number of clients facing billing problems following successful smart meter installations. Resolving these cases is often complex and time-consuming.
Rising levels of energy debt continue to be a significant concern, compounded by the absence of any national energy debt relief schemes. For this reason, we are extremely grateful for the support provided by the Fuel Bank Foundation. Their Fuel Voucher scheme offers vital assistance to those struggling to top up pre-payment meters. We were delighted to welcome Matt Cole, chief executive of the Fuel Bank Foundation, to Shetland in October, where he saw first-hand the challenges facing the Islands energy consumers.
In July, we were pleased to work in partnership with SIC Trading Standards to install a further 25 free call blockers for individuals at risk of financial harm. These devices block over 90 per cent of scam and nuisance calls, providing valuable protection for vulnerable residents.
August saw the publication of our Annual Report, where we announced almost £2 million in financial gains for our clients during the 2024/2025 financial year. This money has gone directly back into the pockets of those who need it most, underlining that the cost-of-living crisis has become a permanent reality for many households across Shetland.
In November, we welcomed Derek Mitchell, chief executive of Citizens Advice Scotland, to our Bureau. During his visit, he acknowledged the significant impact of poor digital connectivity on smart meter installations in Shetland and confirmed that Citizens Advice Scotland will continue lobbying both the Scottish and UK Governments on this issue, as well as on the urgent need for a national energy debt relief scheme.
2025 also marked a remarkable milestone, with Malcolm Ferguson celebrating 30 years of volunteering as a generalist adviser at the Bureau. Malcolm’s dedication and selfless commitment to supporting members of our community is truly admirable.
While our service is free to all, delivering it is not. Many people are unaware that we are a charity and rely on external funding to continue our work. We remain deeply grateful to the Shetland Charitable Trust, Shetland Islands Council, Citizens Advice Scotland and Foundation Scotland for their continued financial support – without it, our service would be at risk.
Volunteers are at the heart of the Citizens Advice Network. Our Board of Management Trustees volunteer their time to provide strategic leadership, while our Volunteer Generalist Advisers play a vital role in supporting clients. At present, we are short of volunteers in both areas, and we would warmly welcome anyone interested in getting involved. If you would like to find out more, please contact me at sicab@shetland.org.
Looking ahead to 2026, we will continue to closely monitor developments around the RTS switch-off and support energy consumers through inevitable price rises – the energy price cap offers little protection for Shetland households.
I would also encourage anyone experiencing financial difficulty to book an appointment for a welfare benefits check. We understand the stigma sometimes associated with the words “welfare” and “benefits”, but National Insurance is exactly that – insurance you pay into throughout your working life to provide support when times are tough. It is not charity.
We also aim to secure further funding to expand our team, allowing us to increase our community-based work and reach more people who need help. Funding opportunities are becoming increasingly limited, but we remain determined to keep trying.
We very much look forward to getting out into our communities in the year ahead. In the meantime, on behalf of myself and everyone at SICAB, I wish you a happy festive season and all the very best for 2026.
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