Scottish Government

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.

Aberdeenshire Council met and agreed Council Tax rates and housing rents across the region for the coming year today. By law, members have to set rates before March 11, allowing time for any changes to be applied from 1st April. Today at Full Council the issue of rates was discussed and set.

The Scottish Government has welcomed a call from the United Nations for urgent action to tackle deepening food insecurity, poverty and injustice in the UK. A new report sets out the actions being taken in Scotland to protect human rights and ensure access to food for people on low incomes.

The Highland Council is progressing plans for setting a budget for the coming year 2021-22. Planning can now take account of the Scottish Government’s settlement proposals, although much uncertainty remains.

The £500 Self-Isolation Support Grant is being significantly extended to more people on low incomes. The Scottish Government has announced that the grant will be available to workers earning the Real Living Wage or less, as well as those in receipt of a council tax reduction because of low inc

Adults who pay for their residential care in Scotland will be better off from April as a result of a change to the rates of allowances they receive for personal and nursing care. Those who ‘self-fund’ their residential care receive an allowance in recognition of their personal and nursin

The success of Scottish Government proposals to regulate short-term lets such as AirBnB is dependent on new funding to support implementation by planning departments, according to the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI). The regulations include a mandatory licensing scheme to ensure that all s

Additional funding of £500,000 is being allocated by the Scottish Government to provide practical measures of support for health and social care staff working to tackle the coronavirus pandemic. Following direct feedback from staff, this funding will support local provision of hot drinks and s

The Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (SFHA) has welcomed the report by the Social Renewal Advisory Board, which has made recommendations for a fairer and more equal Scotland as the country prepares for its post-pandemic recovery. The SFHA has called on the Scottish Government to accept th

The Scottish Parliament’s Justice Committee has backed the underlying intentions behind the Scottish Government’s new Domestic Abuse Bill, but warned that serious practical concerns raised during the course of its scrutiny need to be addressed. Both legal bodies and the police signalled

Crofters in some of Scotland’s most remote and marginal communities will benefit from Scottish Government grants to improve their housing or build new homes. The Croft House Grant scheme aims to retain and attract people to rural communities while allowing them to achieve the full potential of

In accordance with East Lothian Council’s approved budget development framework, a draft budget proposal for 2021/22 has been presented by the ruling administration to the council's cabinet. At this point in time the expected grant settlement to the council from central government, which provi

Households in the Highlands who are on low income and experiencing fuel insecurities as a result of COVID-19 can apply for a Fuel Support Fund from the Highland Council. The £270,000 Fuel Support Fund has been set up by the Council using Scottish Government funding which can be used flexibly t

North Lanarkshire Council's Tackling Poverty Group is launching a new North Lanarkshire Child Payment to support the families of 10,000 children in the area. Families whose children receive a free school meal because of low family income, will receive £100 per child directly into their bank ac

The Fuel Bank Foundation has become the first organisation to receive a share of the Scottish Government's £7 million Fuel Poverty Fund to tackle fuel poverty this winter. The foundation will receive £444,500 to extend its work, which includes providing same-day support to top up prepaym