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Our mission and values

The SCC's mission and values describe what we want to achieve and how we work as an organisation, both internally and externally.

Our mission

We help everyone get a better deal by making the consumer voice heard.

Our values

Our values reflect our determination to make a real impact on the issues that we know from our research matter most to consumers:

Challenging - we question, encourage and convince

Excellent - we aim to be world class

Collaborative - we work with others to get the best results

Fair - we tell it how it is

Open - we embrace new ideas and new ways of working

Supportive - we help each other achieve our potential.

Our strategic objectives for 2005-08

1. To put users at the heart of public services.

2. To make markets work for consumers.

3. To ensure that disadvantaged and vulnerable consumers get a fair deal.

4. To achieve more sustainable consumption.

What we do

We bring about change by working with people and organisations who can make a difference for consumers. We shape and lead debates by being proactive and future-focused.

We assess the consumer perspective

In any service, public or private we analyse service provision against a set of consumer tests.

Choice: can consumers choose the services they need or want?
Information: are consumers provided with the information they need to make informed choices?
Access: can consumers access the services they need or want?
Redress: can consumers seek redress when things go wrong?
Representation: are consumers’ views represented?
Fairness: are consumers subject to discrimination?
Safety: are standards as high as they can be?

We use a range of methods

We do rigorous research and policy analysis and develop well-presented proposals and ideas. We lobby and campaign where we can achieve significant improvements for consumers and take every opportunity to pursue our ambitions for change, including taking action on behalf of consumers.

We publish reports, pilot our ideas, hold events and bring people together from a wide range of backgrounds and interests to share ideas, ask questions and develop solutions.

We are well connected with consumers and consumer organisations and are able to reflect their views in our work.

We work to ensure regulation, enforcement, advice and redress meet consumer needs, but we are not a regulator, nor do we have enforcement powers. Our constitution does not allow us to provide consumers with advice or redress individually, but we do provide general information and advice for consumers.

Our decisions to undertake work are influenced by the following criteria:

Significance for disadvantaged groups
Level of detriment – large numbers or very serious
Others working in the area
Chance of change