Natasha Gilmour on receiving an honour

Growing up in Dumfries, I was always interested in fitness and health, and spending time with family and friends. In fact, I spent most of my youth playing badminton. 

At school, I always believed in people getting access to help and support when they needed it. When I left to go to university, I studied consumer and management studies before securing a job as a caseworker at Ofgem. It was here that I embarked on further study with a focus in health education as the links between fuel poverty and health were undeniable.

I continued to progress through different roles, and in 2008 became head of the Extra Help Unit (EHU) at Consumer Focus, with responsibilities moving to Citizens Advice Scotland in 2014. The EHU is an essential service that helps people in vulnerable circumstances with energy-related problems including bills, debts, energy meters and suppliers.

The EHU is an inclusive and person-centred statutory service that supports customers and micro-businesses across Great Britain. And while local CABs resolve many straight-forward problems, we focus more on complex cases. We work collaboratively with suppliers to get the best possible outcomes for people and also identify or refer compliance concerns to Ofgem, holding energy suppliers and the industry accountable.

Moving to Citizens Advice Scotland back in 2014, it seemed like a great opportunity to work for a charity, which I’d never worked for before. Eleven years after working at CAS, I’m totally shocked. I didn’t choose this career path for anything other than to do my part in helping vulnerable people. So, to be awarded an MBE for my services and effort is surreal. 

Last week I saw my name on the New Year Honours list, and I can’t express how proud I am. Since the first day I stepped through our Glasgow office doors, I’ve helped build a team of 75 experts that deliver truly life-changing outcomes.

The EHU team never fail to amaze me, even through the toughest of challenges, we come together, we are resilient and have weathered many storms and still manage to smile. We’ve continued to innovate and recently implemented AI to help us identify and prioritise those most in need and we have secured the ISO Inclusive Service Kitemark.

To date, we’ve handled more than 175,000 cases and secured almost £31 million in financial redress for people in vulnerable circumstances.

That’s people who, without this support, would continue to be filled with anxiety and worry over how they can heat their homes and pay their bills. Unfortunately the number of cases we receive continues to rise, especially as we head into a chilly January and people need to stay warm.

Thanks to the EHU, we’re here to listen and support people in crisis as we work towards lifting people out of fuel poverty. But we aren’t the solution. Our energy markets are broken and urgent change is needed by the governments to ensure everyone lives a decent, dignified and healthy life.

Natasha Gilmour is head of the Extra Help Unit at Citizens Advice Scotland.

This column was first published in the Herald www.theherald.co.uk.