The need for school uniform support doesn’t just happen at the start of the term—growth spurts, changes in circumstances, or unexpected hardships can happen at any time of the year.
We want every family in Edinburgh to know that support is available, whether you need emergency help or a discreet option right inside your school.
Head to the following link to find out more about how our referral system works or how your school can partner with us: https://edinburghuniform.org/packs/
Consumers urged to check doormats and letterboxes for a letter confirming £150 off bills
345,000 Scottish households to receive the Warm Home Discount automatically this winter – an increase of around 250,000
This follows action to remove VAT from electricity bills, giving people breathing space on the cost of living
From today, Scottish households should check their doormats and letterboxes for confirmation they will get £150 off their energy bills this winter.
Around six million households across Britain will benefit from the Warm Home Discount this winter, with nearly 2.3 million additional families, including around one million with children, receiving the rebate last year after the expansion of the scheme.
This winter, 345,000 Scottish households will receive the £150 rebate automatically – an increase of around 250,000 – benefitting from reforms to the way the Warm Home Discount is administered.
The onus has previously been on many Scottish households to get in touch with their supplier to receive the money. These changes have simplified the process for the majority of those eligible in Scotland, bringing the scheme closer into line with that in England and Wales – where most recipients already get the rebate automatically.
The Warm Home Discount follows on from the VAT cut on electricity bills in October, capping bus fares at £2 and removing £150 of costs off bills earlier this year, giving families breathing space this winter.
Minister for Energy Consumers Polly Billington said:“I know that many Scottish families will be struggling with their energy bills this winter.
“That is why I urge those who think they qualify for the Warm Home Discount to keep an eye out for a letter confirming their eligibility.
“Energy is an absolute essential, which is exactly why in October we cut VAT on all electricity bills and earlier this year we removed £150 of costs off bills, giving families breathing space this winter.”
Letters will be issued from this week through to January 2027 and will advise if the recipient will either get the Warm Home Discount automatically or if they need to phone the helpline to receive the money.
Households asked to phone the helpline and provide extra information to ensure they get the discount this winter must do so before 26 February 2027.
Almost three-quarters of Edinburgh residents (73.5%) have had to use their savings over the past 12 months to cover everyday outgoings as they contend with the cost-of-living crisis.
New data from Scottish Building Society’s Savings Barometer 2026 reveals that 74.7% of people in Edinburgh believe the economic climate has negatively affected their finances over the past year.
Launched in 2025, Scottish Building Society’s Savings Barometer tracks savings habits across Scotland. This year’s findings come as rising prices continue to put pressure on household finances, with annual inflation reaching 3.1%.
For many Edinburgh residents, economic pressures have forced a change of plan with their finances, with more than seven in ten stating they had scaled their financial goal back, extended the time to reach it, or put it on hold altogether.
Nearly three-quarters (73.5%) of those in Edinburgh said they were concerned about their ability to save at all throughout 2026.
Of those able to save, a holiday was the most common savings goal, cited by 33.3% of respondents, compared with 17.5% saving for a new car and 17.1% for a new home.
Their responses mirror the national outlook. Nearly three in four Scots saw their finances negatively affected by the current economic climate, and 65.5% had used their savings to pay for day-to-day outgoings.
Across the different generations, 71.7% of millennials, 67.8% of Gen Z, 64.0% of Gen X and 60.7% of baby boomers said they have had to dip into their savings in the past year.
Paul Denton, CEO at Scottish Building Society, said:“This research is a stark reminder of the pressure Edinburgh households are under. When almost three-quarters have had to draw on their savings over the past year to cover everyday costs, it is clear that, for many, the priority is getting through the month rather than saving for longer-term plans.
“What’s clear from the research is that people want to save, but we know that finding money to put aside can be difficult when household budgets are stretched.
“We want to help people make whatever they can save work as hard as possible for them, whether they are rebuilding a buffer after dipping into it or saving towards a particular goal. There is no one-size-fits-all approach, and even a small amount set aside when circumstances allow can help people feel more prepared for what lies ahead.”
Scottish Building Society is the only building society headquartered in Scotland. Established in Edinburgh in 1848 as the Edinburgh Property Investment Company, it is the oldest remaining building society in the world.
As a member-owned mutual, it offers savings accounts and mortgages, reinvesting surplus profit for the benefit of those members.
The past five years of a near-continuous cost of living crisis have caused the real incomes of typical working-age households to fall rather than grow, leaving them £2,900 (7.9 per cent) worse off this year compared to a world of normal inflation, according to new analysis published today (Thursday) by the Resolution Foundation.
The report Counting the cost, funded by the Nuffield Foundation, assesses the toll of three crises (the post-pandemic supply shock, the invasion of Ukraine, and conflict in the Middle East) that have already delivered 13 years’ worth of ‘normal’ inflation in five, with inflation peaking at 11.1 per cent and prices nearly 30 per cent higher in August 2026 than July 2021.
The report details how energy has been at the epicentre of this price shock. By the autumn of 2022, household energy bills had more than doubled since the start of the crisis. Higher energy costs then bled into other prices: food inflation peaked at nearly 20 per cent in March 2023, and services inflation reached 7.4 per cent in July 2023, its highest level in more than three decades.
Household energy bills and food together account for a quarter of the change in the price level over this period.
The pain felt from these price rises has not been shared equally. Inflation was steepest for essentials, which make up a larger share of poorer households’ spending. As a result, the rise in non-housing costs since before the pandemic has been around one-sixth bigger for the poorest tenth of households than for the richest tenth.
Overall, the report finds the real incomes of a typical working-age household this year (2026-27) are £2,900 a year lower than they would have been compared to a world in which inflation had stayed at 2 per cent over the past five years.
The hit has been similar in scale for households across the distribution. Despite tens of billions in government support, the scars from the cost of living crisis are no smaller for low-income families, and much harder to bear.
The analysis also confirms that between 2020-21 and 2026-27, real median income after housing costs for non-pensioners looks set to fall by 1.3 per cent (£450). Incomes at the 25th percentile are set to fall by 1.2 per cent (£270), while better off households at the 75th percentile will see marginal income growth of 0.3 per cent (£130).
Families have responded to higher prices by heating their homes less – with an extra 1.7 million households saying they were unable to keep warm enough in 2022-23 compared to 2021-22 , 950,000 of whom were in the poorest 40 per cent of the population.
The poorest tenth of neighbourhoods cut energy use by 15 per cent more than the richest in response to price rises in 2023. There were also larger cuts in usage in colder areas, meaning the biggest adjustments happened in the places where those most vulnerable to a gas price shock are more likely to live.
Arrears are also mounting as families fall behind on priority bills, such as energy, water, Council Tax and rent. By March this year, almost one-in-five (18 per cent) households in the poorest half of the country were behind on a priority bill, up from one-in-ten (10 per cent) in September 2020.
The total owed to energy suppliers has more than tripled in real terms since 2018, to £5 billion, while Council Tax arrears in England have more than doubled since 2012-13 (up 117 per cent to £7.5 billion in 2026-26).
As the Government considers fresh cost of living support in the upcoming Budget, the authors warn that recent help was expensive and poorly targeted. The Energy Price Guarantee alone cost over £20 billion and was paid regardless of need. The country cannot afford to repeat that approach.
Instead, any new support should be targeted at the poorer families who have fared worst over the past five years – heating their homes less, taking on more debt, and falling behind on their bills more often – with energy bills the clear priority.
James Smith, Chief Economist at the Resolution Foundation, said:“Having experienced 13 years’ worth of inflation over the past five, families across the country are struggling with the cost of living. Unfortunately, help is needed just when the public finances leave less room than ever to provide it.
“While the hit to incomes from rising prices has been felt right across the board, the hardship has not been equally shared. It is poorer families who have cut back hardest on heating and are falling behind fastest on essential bills, and conflict in the Middle East is set to keep energy prices high.
“The Government can’t borrow its way out of this, and repeating the expensive blanket support of 2022 isn’t an option. Any new help must be squarely targeted at the poorer families facing the greatest hardship – starting with their energy bills.”
Alex Beer, Assistant Director of Strategy at the Nuffield Foundation said:“Five years of unusually high inflation have had a substantial impact on household finances, with lower-income families facing the greatest pressure.
“By showing how rising energy and food prices have reduced living standards and made it harder for people to pay essential bills, the report provides timely and valuable evidence on the consequences of an extended costs of living crisis.
“At a time when policymakers face difficult choices and public finances remain constrained, understanding who has been most affected and why is essential to designing effective policy responses.
“This work forms part of a wider programme of research funded by the Nuffield Foundation examining the consequences of the recent conflict involving the US, Iran, Israel and the wider region.”
Tax cut will help households with their energy bills by taking around £45 off the yearly Ofgem price cap.
Part of Prime Minister’s wider plan for ‘everyday fixes’ to give families some breathing space.
Households will be better protected from rising global energy costs this winter after the Government cuts tax on household electricity bills from today.
The action keeps the Energy Price Cap £45 a year less than it would have been, giving people a bit of breathing space on their energy bills between October and December.
Around a third of households are on fixed tariffs and therefore will not be affected by the Energy Price Cap rise. The Government expects suppliers to pass on the VAT cut to these customers too, meaning they could be in line for their energy bills to fall overall. The Government encourages people to shop around for the best deal for their home.
This is the latest measure in the Prime Minister’s series of ‘everyday fixes’ to give families room to breathe. It follows action to cap bus fares at £2, ban fake discounts and end subscription traps, as well as cracking down on school uniform-rip offs and cut business-rates for the pubs, social clubs and high-street businesses that hold communities together.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said: “For many families, the energy bill is the one they dread the most. I don’t accept that it has to be this way, and I am determined to bring down costs for good.
“But I know people can’t wait. Families need breathing space now.
“That’s why, from today, VAT is gone from your electricity bill. And we’re going further, capping bus fares at £2 from January and cutting business rates for pubs, social clubs and live music venues”.
While the Government is giving people short term relief on their energy bills, it is also taking action to fix Britain’s energy problems for the long term.
This week the Prime Minister committed to reduce energy costs so that they are in line with other countries in Europe within ten years by introducing greater public control in the system. He announced a new publicly owned body within Great British Energy – Great British Grid (GB Grid) – alongside other reforms to help improve competition, speed up grid connections for businesses, and lower costs.
It will help to reform the broken energy market so it better serves the public interest. Other measures include the delivery of Sizewell C to kickstart a golden era of nuclear, and investment in homegrown, clean energy production.
Chancellor of the Exchequer, John Healey MP, said: “This tax cut will help keep energy bills down a bit as we head into the winter.
“We are acting on cost of living pressures to give people some breathing space for the next few months while we make long-term changes to better shield the country from global shocks like those we face today.”
Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, Miatta Fahnbulleh MP, said: “I know energy price rises weigh heavily on homes across the UK this winter.
“From today, our VAT cut will give households some much needed breathing space, making the energy price cap £45 a year less than it would have been. This follows the £150 of costs we removed from bills earlier this year.
“Alongside this, we continue to look at what more we can do to protect families from unaffordable bills, as we drive down bills for good through clean power.”
Savings for households depends on how much energy they use, but the cut will help families keep more money in their pockets as temperatures fall and energy use typically increases.
The move follows a rise in global energy costs linked to the conflict in the Middle East and reflects the Government’s commitment to give people some breathing space, taking practical action where it can make the biggest difference.
This builds on the £150 of costs taken off energy bills in the Budget last year and expansion of the £150 Warm Home Discount to around six million households. Our Warm Homes Plan will also lower bills for millions of households and help lift households out of fuel poverty.
The Leith Collective hopes its Winter Coat Exchange will bring warmth, comfort and dignity to those struggling this winter
Energy prices are set to reach a three-year high this winter, with an even greater hike to bills expected to hit households in the new year.
These increases, coupled with the knock-on effects of a significant El Niño will create a “perfect storm” for families already struggling to afford the basics to stay warm this winter, according to local Community Interest Company, The Leith Collective, which is launching a Winter Coat Exchange on Thursday 1st October to help bring warmth, comfort and dignity to those in need this winter.
Last year, The Leith Collective rehomed more than 10,000 good quality coats. This year, they hope to distribute even more, plus for the first time jumpers, blankets, scarfs, hats and gloves, and they are calling on local businesses and organisations to play their part.
The initiative is being launched in response to the announcement from the energy regulator, Ofgen, which outlined a rise in the price cap from October. This will add an extra £60 to the typical annual household energy bill, setting bills at a three-year high. What’s more, energy prices are predicted to rise again in January 2027, with current forecasts suggesting the price cap could increase by a further 25%.
All this comes amidst warnings from UN officials that a significant El Niño is likely to occur towards the end of 2026, with some forecasts predicting the strongest event on record. The direct effects of this El Niño will be felt across the globe and may heighten instances of extreme weather, leading to adverse effects on global food supply chains and energy prices.
In response, Sara Thomson, founder of The Leith Collective is urging locals to act now. “Families here in Edinburgh are facing real hardship, and the prospects for this winter are bleak if we don’t step in and help.
“We’ve spoken to countless people who can’t afford to heat their homes, cook a decent meal or buy coats and jumpers to stay warm.
“That’s why we’re calling on businesses, organisations, charities, community groups and individuals to donate and distribute good quality winter clothing to bring warmth, comfort and dignity to those in need.”
Organisations can sign up to become an official Winter Coat Exchange Collection Point at www.we-relove.com, the sustainable online marketplace from The Leith Collective.
The website also enables individuals in need to enter their postcode and find their nearest collection point, so they can help themselves to warm winter clothes without charge and without judgement.
Aldi stores across Edinburgh donated 24,039 meals to charities, foodbanks and community organisations across the UK throughout the recent school summer holidays.
The donations took the number of meals redistributed by Aldi in 2026 from more than 8.8 million before the school holidays to 10.9 million – an increase of 24%.
Aldi has worked with Neighbourly since 2019 to redistribute surplus food from its stores to charities and community organisations across the UK.
Luke Emery, National Sustainability Director at Aldi UK, said:“There’s no reason for good food to go to waste when it can be put to use by organisations supporting their local communities.
“Our stores redistribute surplus food throughout the year, giving local charities a regular source of food they can use to support the people who rely on them.”
Steve Butterworth, CEO of Neighbourly, added:“For many of the organisations we work with, summer doesn’t mean demand eases off. The school holidays can bring an additional pressure, as families face higher food costs and children who usually receive free school meals may not have the same access to support during the holidays.
“Regular surplus food donations give charities something practical they can use straight away, helping them keep shelves stocked and respond to what people in their communities need.”
Shoppers in Edinburgh can also donate food and everyday essentials to local charities, foodbanks and community groups through community donation points in Aldi stores nationwide.
Aldi also works with Company Shop to redistribute surplus food from its Regional Distribution Centres.
