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Our over-heated political culture is making life worse, writes Rory Mair

Changes to Universal Credit announced by the Chancellor in the Budget last week will result in a reduction of the waiting time between the claim and first payment and also help people access additional support when they need it.

These were specific changes that Citizens Advice Scotland had been calling for, so in our response we commended the government for being willing to listen. The positive tone of that response may have raised some eyebrows.

After all, hadn’t we just spent the last year publishing data that showed how Universal Credit was riddled with flaws and causing people hardship? Well, yes.

But the point about the Budget was that the government had listened to that data, and made the changes we asked for. Citizens’ lives will be better as a result, and the government should of course be given credit for that.

At the same time, it’s fair to observe that it would have been better if they had done so when we first asked them to, instead of spending four months telling us there was no problem. Every time we published our evidence the government response was to batten down the hatches.

Since we first called for changes in July, more than 2,000 Scots have been moved on to a system that the government now accepts was flawed. Those families are victims of our over-heated political environment, in which governments feel that any flexibility will be seen as weakness. And frankly they are right. The tone of political opponents, of some in the media, and often of charities too, makes it hard for governments today to make sensible alterations to policy, even when everyone agrees it would be the right thing to do.

One of the messages from the Budget is that there is a point to organisations like Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS). We really can influence public policy for the better, if we engage constructively. But another lesson is that we all need to think about how we engage with these issues and build a more constructive political environment. This would ensure that good, evidence-based policy changes in the public interest become more common.

CAS has a unique position in terms of informing public policy. We are the only charity that engages with people every day, in all parts of Scotland and across the broad spectrum of issues. That means the data we collect is a constant and accurate mirror to the impact of public policy. And – in addition to helping them solve their problems – our clients expect us to use that data to advocate for change. So any recommendations we put forward to government are based on evidence: the real-life experience of real Scots.

Governments should welcome such a resource, not see it as a threat or a criticism to be instantly rebutted. When you are implementing legislation that affects people’s lives, surely it makes sense to test and adapt it where necessary, so you are doing good, not harm?

Meanwhile, what now for Universal Credit? Is it fixed? No, it isn’t. The changes we welcomed this week will make a real difference, but there are still other improvements that can be made. We will continue to push for these, but we will always do so constructively and with an eye to achieving results, not headlines. We hope, in turn, that we find governments that are willing to listen to real evidence and respond as they did this time. But perhaps a bit faster. l Rory Mair is chair of Citizens Advice Scotland