The Scottish Welfare Fund made 1400 payments to people in Argyll and Bute in the last financial year, new figures show.
A total number of 515 Community Care Grants and 885 Crisis Grants were awarded in Argyll and Bute over the year.
The money helped people with essentials such as food, heating costs and household items.
The Scottish Government introduced the Scottish Welfare Fund in 2013. The Fund is part of a £125 million annual package to mitigate the impact of UK Government austerity.
Since its launch in April 2013, the Fund has paid out more than £200 million to support over 336,000 households across Scotland, with a third of recipients being families with children.
SNP MP Brendan O’Hara said:
“The Scottish Welfare Fund is a vital lifeline for many people facing poverty or crisis.
“The fact that so many households in Argyll and Bute are in need of emergency financial help is appalling, and a sad indictment of the UK Government’s record on austerity and welfare changes.
“The SNP would prefer these resources were invested directly to tackle poverty rather than protecting people from Tory austerity.
“Indeed, the UN Special Rapporteur on Poverty described it as outrageous that the Scottish Government had to divert funds to protect people from Westminster’s mess.
“The SNP will continue to do everything in our power to tackle poverty and support low income families. It’s time for the Tories to end their austerity agenda and stop forcing Argyll and Bute families into poverty.”
Notes to Editors
- The Crisis Grant aims to help people in financial emergency, such as those struggling on low incomes or benefits.
- Community Care Grant aims to, among other things, help people set up home or help families facing exceptional pressures.
- In the UN Special Rapporteur on Poverty, Professor Philip Alston praised Scotland’s “ambitious” schemes for addressing poverty, including the Fairer Scotland Action Plan and the Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan. He noted Scotland’s “promising social security system, guided by the principles of dignity and social security as a human right, and co-designed with claimants on the basis of evidence”
- The Scottish Government’s response to the Special Rapporteur’s report shows UK Government welfare cuts have increased the risk of deprivation for low-income families across Scotland.
Local Authority Number of Community Care Grants Awarded Number of Crisis Grant Awarded Total 2018/19
2018/19
Scotland 40,485 125,155 165,640 Aberdeen City 1,565 6,455 8,020 Aberdeenshire 665 3,275 3,940 Angus 530 2,520 3,050 Argyll & Bute
515 885 1,400
Clackmannanshire 285 1,380 1,665 Dumfries & Galloway 1,150 4,125 5,275 Dundee City 1,810 3,510 5,320 East Ayrshire 1,225 3,410 4,635 East Dunbartonshire 320 1,395 1,715 East Lothian 765 1,920 2,685 East Renfrewshire 350 455 805 Edinburgh 2,885 7,650 10,535 Eilean Siar 65 180 245 Falkirk 1,050 2,580 3,630 Fife 1,840 14,310 16,150 Glasgow City 7,565 20,125 27,690 Highland 1,305 2,415 3,720 Inverclyde 1,015 2,745 3,760 Midlothian 520 2,550 3,070 Moray 305 1,250 1,555 North Ayrshire 1,480 4,605 6,085 North Lanarkshire 2,900 10,110 13,010 Orkney 70 75 145 Perth & Kinross 705 2,230 2,935 Renfrewshire 1,275 7,115 8,390 Scottish Borders 325 1,005 1,330 Shetland 70 110 180 South Ayrshire 695 2,090 2,785 South Lanarkshire 3,780 3,285 7,065 Stirling 725 2,195 2,920 West Dunbartonshire 1,495 4,625 6,120 West Lothian 1,230 4,570 5,800