Incomes Down, Foodbank Use Up Westminster cuts have led to “the biggest deterioration in living standards in living memory”, according to a new report from the Child Poverty Action Group. The report points to “a gradual degradation of living standards since 2016 due to [UK
Austerity 2.0 Demonstrates Need for Full Powers The SNP has said that the Tory austerity threat to Scottish families shows why Scottish independence is the only way to secure our vital social security safety net. It comes as the UK Government’s plans to slash welfare
December Bridging Payment Doubling to £260 Families of an estimated 145,000 children will benefit from extra support this winter to help with cost-of-living pressures – backed by Scottish Government investment of £18.9 million. Bridging Payments were introduced in 2021 ahead of the extension of the
Devolved Benefit Helping 104,000 Children A total of £84 million has been paid to families since the Scottish Child Payment was introduced less than 18 months ago. The payment of £20 per week, unique in the UK to Scotland, began in February 2021 as a
Scottish Government Mitigates £2,500 Per Impacted Family New research shows that Scottish Government mitigation of cruel Tory policies makes up for a loss of around £2,500 per family in Scotland impacted by austerity. The second Building A New Scotland Paper, published last week, outlines stats
Phased Rollout Reaches Angus People living in Angus can now apply for Adult Disability Payment. The new Scottish Government benefit replaces the UK Government’s Personal Independence Payment. It provides financial support to people aged between 16 and state pension age who are disabled, have a
Over £1.2m Paid Out Since February 2021 New figures on the Scottish Child Payment indicate that 2,565 children across Angus have been supported by the devolved benefit since its introduction. Brought in last February to put extra money in the pockets of families, and not
£3.9bn+ to Benefit a Million People in 2022-23 A new report published by Audit Scotland has highlighted the Scottish Government’s “significant achievement” in the scale and pace of delivering the devolved programme of social security benefits in Scotland. This includes seven new payments unavailable anywhere
Extra support for 30,000 families Plans to remove all income thresholds from Best Start Foods by 2023-24 have been announced as part of the second Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan, ‘Best Start, Bright Futures’. This will increase eligibility to all people in receipt of a
Supporting Low Income Households Almost £6 billion has been invested to support low income households across Scotland over the last three years. More than a third of that total, around £2.18 billion, has directly benefitted children as the Scottish Government prepares to publish its Tackling