Welfare

Edinburgh-based Capital Credit Union has been inundated with hundreds of enquiries after launching an online tool to help people with benefits claims. The credit union launched its benefits calculator after being swamped with calls from members unsure about what they were entitled to claim during th

Local authorities received 121,090 applications for Discretionary Housing Payments from April 2020 to February 2021 and had spent or committed to spend £74.2 million, according to new figures on the Scottish Welfare Fund (SWF). Discretionary Housing Payments are awarded by local authoriti

GP practices in some of Scotland's most deprived communities will receive £3.17 million of Scottish Government funding dedicated to welfare rights advisors to address growing mental health concerns caused by money and housing insecurity. Launching in September 2021, 150 GP Practices will be ab

The new Child Disability Payment will be open in pilot areas for applications from 26 July 2021. Regulations passed mean that families of children with a disability or long-term health condition living in Dundee City, Perth and Kinross and the Western Isles council who need financial support should

Problems with the five-week wait to receive the first Universal Credit payment and sanctions which lead to payments being withdrawn if claimants don’t meet certain conditions have directly contributed towards homelessness in Scotland, a new report has revealed. Analysis from the Scottish Gover

Scotland faces a ‘cliff edge’ moment as it emerges from lockdown and the COVID-19 pandemic, Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) has warned. Publishing its manifesto for the 2021 Scottish Parliament elections, the charity revealed the impact COVID-19 has had on people financially.

A temporary £20 uplift to Universal Credit announced by Chancellor Rishi Sunak said in his Budget speech yesterday must be made permanent, campaigners have urged.

Thousands of families are now receiving their first Scottish Child Payment. As of Sunday 28 February 52,000 applications had been approved.

Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) is telling MPs ahead of this week’s Budget that the Chancellor must make the £20 uplift to Universal Credit (UC) permanent. In a briefing sent to all Scottish MPs, the charity sets out how without the uplift UC will fall below the rate of inflation and risk

Wheatley Group has helped tenants access an extra £9.4 million of unclaimed welfare benefits they were due. The group provides a free benefit advice service to ensure all tenants are getting every penny they are entitled to.

A package of measures worth £37.2 million has been announced by the Scottish Government to tackle poverty and inequality, in this financial year. The funding, confirmed in a Statement to Parliament by finance secretary Kate Forbes this week, will support the delivery of two key investments for

A total of 144,128 COVID Winter Hardship Payments have been made to low-income families by the Scottish Government. The payments are available to families with children receiving Free School Meals on the basis of low income, with £14.41 million given to households as part of the Scottish Gover

More than 77,000 Scottish Child Payment applications have been received since Social Security Scotland started taking applications on November 9. The new benefit, which is unique to Scotland, will give qualifying parents and carers £40 every four weeks for each child under six.

A new service has been launched for Scots to calculate their benefits entitlement in a bid to address the financial hardship facing many families. The online tool is the first to fully integrate devolved benefits, including the new Scottish Child Payment which opens next week.

The decision by the UK Government to freeze Local Housing Allowance rates could put tenancies at risk across Scotland, housing minister Kevin Stewart has warned. Mr Stewart has written to the UK Government his expressing disappointment at secretary of state for pensions Thér&eg