Available funds within the Inverness Common Good Fund have been used to help people most at need to heat their homes this winter in the Inverness area.

Previously a one-off payment of £97 per household was agreed to support those most in need of financial assistance during the coldest months at a time when the cost of energy is soaring. This figure has now been increased to £150 per eligible person for the 2022/23 winter as Members of the City of Inverness Area Committee today (4 November 2022) agreed to re-allocate available funds from the Inverness Common Good Fund to the Inverness Area Winter Payment Scheme.

Councillor Ian Brown, leader of Inverness and Area, said: “The increased Winter Payment to £150 for those eligible will have a positive impact on individuals struggling financially and also to people receiving disability benefits, who are also more likely to be negatively impacted by increased costs of living.

“The Winter Payments Scheme for Inverness and Area which is financed by the Inverness Common Good Fund is now going into its eighth year. Members approved this increase as we have never before seen such challenging and difficult financial situations as we now face this winter. This payment, and other packages of financial support, will act as a lifeline for many individuals.

“The fuel and cost of living crisis we are currently living in is unprecedented and demonstrates the key role which the Inverness Common Good Funded scheme plays in helping people most in need to heat their homes.”

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.