Citizens Advice Consumer Work Plan 2026/7

Citizens Advice Consumer Work Plan 2026/7 3.9 MB

The work plan we’re putting forward this year is one that tackles the here-and-now reality of consumer detriment, including some long-standing challenges, but also explores new areas where changes in markets and technology may drive new types of consumer harm.

As the work plan sets out, the way we fulfil our work in this area is driven by the close connection between the advice we offer and the consumer advocacy we deliver. This is Citizens Advice’s super power and it's this power that allows us to adapt to the rapidly changing environment to keep our consumer advocacy relevant and future facing. We understand what problems people are facing at a granular level and in real-time, and we can see how changes in policy will play out.

Throughout the work plan, two key themes emerge. The first is around the importance of consumer protections. Across a whole range of markets, we’re already seeing a lack of protections causing immediate detriment. Where the government recognises these challenges - as in its desire to reform the home upgrade market - intervention might drive significant improvement. But in others, particularly where there is uncertainty about the future of regulation in that market, we need to ensure that we’re future-proofing markets and acting as a source of both insight and challenge on behalf of consumers.

Secondly, we have a continued focus on fair pricing. There remain significant pressures on the cost of living for many people in England and Wales. For many people we help, the amount they spend on essential services swallows up most or all of their income, or more.