Support fund worth £41m to help those struggling with winter bills

A fund of £41m has been announced to help families on low incomes with extra costs during the winter.

The Scottish Government’s Winter Support Fund will also help those at risk of homelessness.

It includes £10m for people who are struggling to pay fuel bills through top-up vouchers and £25m for councils to help those with financial insecurity.

Another £6m will go to charities which work with low-income families.

Money for the fund comes from consequentials as a result of the UK Government’s Household Support Fund.

Social justice secretary Shona Robison said: “We know that many families are struggling financially due to the increased costs they are facing right now.

“This package of measure aims to ease some of that strain by providing direct support to people.

“The Scottish Government has invested £2.5bn to support low-income households in 2020-21, with around £1bn focused on supporting children as a cornerstone of our national mission to tackle child poverty and homelessness.

“That includes doubling the Scottish Child Payment to £20 per child per week, with our plans to do so set out in the forthcoming Scottish Budget.”

She continued: “We are passing on every penny of the £41m we received in UK Government consequentials.

“However, this in no way makes up for the recent £20-a-week cut to Universal Credit, which has taken an estimated £460m from the pockets of the people in Scotland who need it most.”