Inverness residents urged to apply for one-off £150 winter fuel bills payment

People living in Inverness are being urged to apply for a one-off £150 payment to help them with their winter fuel bills.

Applications for the Inverness Winter Payment scheme are open to those on low-incomes in seven wards.

They are; Aird and Loch Ness, Culloden and Ardersier, Inverness Central, Inverness Millburn, Inverness Ness-side, Inverness South, and Inverness West.

The scheme will run for a three-month period from December 1 until February 28, 2023.

Applications should be made no later than February 28, Highland Council has indicated.

Residents are eligible if they are aged 90 or older before that date, irrespective of their savings.

Eligibility extends to those who receive a Scottish Welfare Fund Crisis Grant Payment between December 1 and February 28 next year, and to those who receive Pension Credit (Guarantee Credit).

The scheme is also open to those with a child or children under the age of five who are in receipt of Income Support, Income Based Jobseekers Allowance, Universal Credit, Income Based Employment, or Support Allowance.

It will also apply for those in receipt of Pension Credit (Savings Credit), Income Support, Universal Credit, Income-based Jobseekers Allowance, Income-related Employment and Support Allowance, or Incapacity Benefit.

Full details of eligibility and on how to apply for the payment can be found on the Highlands Council website.

Leader of Inverness and Area, councillor Ian Brown, encouraged those who are eligible to apply.

“If you live in the Aird and Loch Ness, Inverness West, Inverness Central, Inverness Ness-side, Inverness Millburn, Culloden and Ardersier and Inverness South Wards you may be entitled to financial support during winter when extra fuel is needed to keep homes warm,” he said.

“The City of Inverness Committee winter payments scheme is designed to help people who are most in need and I encourage anyone who meets the eligibility criteria to apply for and claim the one-off winter payment of £150 that they are entitled to.

“The scheme is aimed at anyone on low income of all ages and not just pensioners.”