A one-off payment of £97 per household will be awarded to support those most in need of financial assistance during the coldest months at a time when the cost of energy is soaring.

Members also agreed to propose an increase to the single tier payment to £150, subject to a financial assessment report brought back to the next City of Inverness Area Committee Meeting.

Leader of Inverness and area, Councillor Ian Brown, said: “The Winter Payments Scheme for Inverness and Area is now going into its eighth year, however, during this time, we have not seen our Highland citizens facing such challenging and difficult financial decisions. I have no doubt that our local winter payment, coupled with the other packages of financial support coming through, will act as a lifeline for some individuals.

“The fuel and cost of living crisis we are currently living through is unprecedented and demonstrates the key role which this scheme plays in helping people to heat their homes.”

Cllr Brown concluded: “We hope that by providing this discretionary payment, and through the Council’s continued work to promote the uptake of other sources of financial support and advice that we can improve the well-being of those most in need in Inverness.”

The Inverness Winter Payments Scheme is fully funded by the Inverness Common Fund and is therefore only available to eligible people within the 7 specified Inverness Wards. Inverness Common Good Funding can only be used to principally benefit people living within the geographic area of the former Burgh of Inverness.

New applications for this year scheme will be accepted from 1 December 2022 to 28 February 2023 (inclusive). The council will undertake further promotion for the 2022/23 Inverness Winter Discretionary Payments Scheme in due course.