Tag: financial support

Urban Union and Muirhouse Housing Association support Millennium Centre with £15,000 donation

Urban Union, as part of their community benefit programmes for the City of Edinburgh Council, and Muirhouse Housing Association (MHA) have together provided over £15,000 in ongoing support to the Muirhouse Millennium Centre in the north of Edinburgh since the onset of the pandemic in March 2020.

Muirhouse Millennium Centre, run in partnership with Low Income Families Together (LIFT), aims to relieve poverty among the residents of the surrounding areas, provide recreational and leisure facilities, and promote education and training in skills of all kinds.

During the first wave of the pandemic, from March to October, the cash boosts from MHA and the developer behind Pennywell Living helped the Millennium Centre become a major player in food distribution in the north of Edinburgh.

Since then and throughout the two lockdowns, the money has helped fund over 5,000 food parcels, 22,000 packed lunches, 6,000 ready meals, as well as baby formula and nappies for local families and homeless accommodation.

Adapting their recreational support service, the Millennium Centre also delivered over 500 play packs and activity resources, allowing children to continue taking part in the Centre’s homework and youth clubs through Zoom.  In October, once children were allowed to be welcomed back, the Centre used the funding to deliver five sessions a week to reduce isolation and strengthen social skills after being at home for the duration of the first lockdown.

As part of their community benefits mission, Urban Union has previously also supported Muirhouse Library’s Breakfast Club to ensure local children had a nutritious start to their day as well as helping Pennywell School build their STEM curriculum, recently launching a STEM-based learning project.

Neil McKay, Managing Director of Urban Union, said: “Our focus at Urban Union is to not only regenerate a physical landscape, but to create strong relationships and support the communities in which our developments are based. We are ecstatic to have been able to support the Millennium Centre and LIFT throughout a very challenging period for many families.

“We are always happy to give something back to the Muirhouse community and we will continue to offer opportunities for local people and support for the most vulnerable in the area.”

Iain Strachan, Chair of the Muirhouse Housing Association added: “Muirhouse Housing Association is dedicated to supporting our tenants and local community.

“This last year has been one of the most challenging in our near 30 years of being part of the Muirhouse community. We are glad that we can work with Muirhouse Millennium Centre and LIFT in supporting local people and families during a very difficult time and will continue to do so in the future.”

Pauline Bowie, Managing Director of Low Income Families Together said: “We are very grateful for this generous donation from Urban Union and MHA which has made a real tangible difference to children and families alike across Edinburgh during an extremely difficult time.

“The Centre relies on funding to deliver our programmes and reach those who need it the most. Everyone deserves a chance in life, and donations like this allow for local people in challenging situations to access different forms of support.”

City of Edinburgh Council’s Convener of Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work, Councillor Kate Campbell said: “During this crisis, we’ve worked together to put our most vulnerable residents first and making sure people can access the right support when and where they need it has been an absolute priority.

“It’s great to see our development partner Urban Union and Muirhouse Housing Association providing this much needed funding for Muirhouse Millennium Centre’s invaluable work, and the positive impact it’s had on the community’s families and children since the beginning of the pandemic.”

Pennywell Living is the centre of an exciting 8-year regeneration project as part of the City of Edinburgh Council’s house-building programme.

Now in phase three, the development offers an exceptional range of 315 one to four bedroom flats and houses designed for modern living. Over half of these will be for affordable rent.

Urban Union regenerates areas across Scotland to create revitalised communities through building new, high quality, affordable homes.

Across each of its developments, Urban Union aims to deliver sustainable long-term benefits to the new and surrounding neighbourhoods, with job and training opportunities, ensuring the community will benefit from the projects for years to come.

To find out more about Urban Union, visit: https://www.urbanunionltd.co.uk/

To find out more about the Millennium Centre, visit: https://www.lift-edinburgh.com/muirhouse-millennium

Council hails further support to taxi and private hire trade

An additional grant is now available for taxi and private hire vehicle owners/operators.

This is in addition to the two £1,500 grants (over £12m Scottish Government funding) and further payments of £1,000 (just over £4.4m of the Council’s Edinburgh Discretionary Business Support Fund) the council has allocated to each taxi and private hire driver since the start of the pandemic last March.

Vehicle owners and operators can apply for a grant of up to £10,000 each, dependent on the number of vehicles their companies operate.

Cllr Catherine Fullerton, Convenor of Regulatory Committee, said: “We’re delighted the Scottish Government has responded so positively to our requests for further support for the taxi and private hire industry.

“We know all businesses have had such difficult time over the last 16 months and it was great to see drivers initially receive a £1,500 grant in April from the Scottish Government totalling over £6m.

“We were delighted to be able to make additional payments of £1,000 each from our Discretionary Business Support Fund, totalling just over £4.4m. We also welcomed the extension of the Scottish Government funding allowing us to pay out a further £1,500 again to all drivers last week. 

“I would encourage vehicle owners and operators to apply for this welcome further funding via our website.“

Covid: Extra support for students

Students experiencing hardship over summer as a result of coronavirus (COVID-19) can apply for financial support if they are struggling to meet accommodation and other costs.

Backed by £20 million of new funding, students in financial hardship can apply directly to their college or university’s Coronavirus Discretionary Fund.

The Scottish Government has also committed to review the future of summer support and the availability of funds will be monitored to ensure support remain available to students throughout summer.   

This latest funding package takes total support for students since the start of the pandemic to more than £96 million.

Higher and Further Education Minister Jamie Hepburn said: “The pandemic has impacted students significantly and not only has there been disruption to their education, but many students have faced financial difficulties with accommodation, associated costs or challenges in getting jobs. This additional £20 million will help to alleviate the financial pressure and stress facing many of our students over the summer period.

“The Student Hardship Task Force have been a crucial voice in ensuring students are supported this summer and I thank them for their important work.

“The support provided to students over the course of the pandemic has been substantial with now over £96 million being provided via hardship funding, digital access, mental health support and for student associations.”

NUS Scotland President Matt Crilly said: “We welcome additional discretionary funding for students today and that the Scottish Government has recognised the dire situation facing students this summer.

“Many students have already lost crucial part-time jobs, most have received their final student support payment, and are not eligible for Universal Credit, which is why today’s announcement of a summer support review is particularly welcome. We need to see a year-round student support system that ensures no student falls through the cracks and is driven out of education and into poverty.”

More support for capital’s cabbies

Taxi and private hire drivers across the Capital are to receive more funding as top-up payments of £1,000 each will be distributed by the City of Edinburgh Council.

From today (15 April 2021), this will be paid out to those who received the initial grants of £1,500 through the ‘Taxi and Private Hire Driver Support Fund’ and will be done using the same details used for the first grant without any need for further application.

This additional funding for taxi and private hire drivers will be provided from the ‘Edinburgh Discretionary Business Support Fund’, amounting to just under £4.4 million for the sector in Edinburgh.

The Council was awarded just over £12.8 million in total by the Scottish Government to create the ‘Edinburgh Discretionary Business Support Fund’ which has been distributing grant money to eligible businesses since 3 February 2021 in two tranches – initially £2.8 million, and then an additional £10 million was added to the pot.

The ‘Taxi and Private Hire Driver Support Fund’ was open between 25 January and 25 March 2021 and paid out just over £6.5 million to 4,391 taxi and private hire drivers.

Councillor Kate Campbell, Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Convener, said: “It’s been a really difficult time for so many businesses and self-employed people. We know that taxi and private hire drivers have been severely impacted so we’re using the discretionary grant fund to top up the Taxi and Private Hire Driver Support Fund.

“Taxis and private hire drivers are a crucial part of our city’s transport infrastructure, making our city accessible to many and supporting our economy. 

“We’ve taken the decision to ring-fence this money to make sure that drivers, 90% of whom are self-employed, have a bit of extra support to help them get through this period until we start to see the easing of more restrictions from 26th April. 

“This year has been incredibly difficult for all businesses in our city, and we know how hard people have had to work to keep going. We want to do everything we can help.”

Councillor Mandy Watt, Vice Convener said: “The taxi trade is a vital part of our public transport network, supporting many vulnerable people and those with accessibility needs.  I therefore feel very passionately that this sector – the majority renting their vehicles – gets the support it needs to continue this essential service.

“Our whole economy has been affected and it will take time to build it back up again. That’s why, despite there being a date to work towards, we’ll continue to look at our business support landscape and monitor where the holes have been so we can plug them with funding support.”

Applications will be open until the fund is nearing its full allocation. At this point the fund will be closed and applications will be processed in the order they are received.

Rathbones doubles support for The Outward Bound Trust

  • The Outward Bound Trust’s mission is “to inspire young people to defy their limitations so they become strong, resilient and curious, ready for the challenges of life”
  • The pandemic forced the charity to adapt away from their residential courses
  • Rathbones stepped in to double donations after loss of government support

Rathbones has doubled its donations to The Outward Bound Trust to help the charity continue to support young people during the pandemic.

Founded 80 years ago, Outward Bound’s mission is “to inspire young people to defy their limitations so they become strong, resilient and curious, ready for the challenges of life”.

Prior to the pandemic, this was done chiefly by hosting over 5,500 young people from all across Scotland per year at the charity’s Loch Eil centre. By bringing children to the wildest places in the UK the aim is for them to learn and develop vital life skills such as communication, self-motivation and resilience.

However, when the pandemic hit the UK in March 2020, it was no longer possible to offer the residential courses at the Loch Eil centre.

To continue to help young people when they needed it most, Outward Bound decided to adapt. During the last year the charity also saw its Scottish government funding decrease, meaning it required additional financial support in order to make these changes.

The Outward Bound Trust was already the chosen charity for Rathbones’ Edinburgh office, but Rathbones stepped up to double its original donations to assist the charity with its vital work. The focus on supporting the UK’s young people and aiding their long-term development fits well with Rathbones’ own purpose to Look Forward.

With more support from Rathbones and other donors, Outward Bound can now provide two new propositions to help young people readjust, reconnect and thrive post pandemic. These are:

1.                   In School Adventures – taking Outward Bound to schools until students can come to their residential centres.

2.                  Opening residential centres for activity days in the holidays.

Euan MacDonald, Investment director at Rathbone Investment Management comments: “We are proud to continue our support of the fantastic work carried out by The Outward Bound Trust.

“The mental health impact of the pandemic on young people is hugely concerning. We have been encouraged by The Trust’s ability to innovate in times of deep uncertainty and to continue offering access to the vital life skills that will be required in an uncertain future.

“Realising the requirement for financial support during this period we were happy to double our previous years donation.”

Martin Davidson, director of Scotland and Innovation at The Outward Bound Trust comments: “COVID-19 has had a dramatic impact on the charitable sector, with the majority of non-NHS charities experiencing a drop-in funding in the last year- at the exact time when our help is most needed.

“We are grateful to Rathbones and our other donors – Swagelok Scotland, Mowi Scotland and Northwood Charitable Trust- for their incredible support during this time.

“We know that the pandemic has had put a severe toll on young people’s mental health, and it is our hope through our work that we can help today’s younger generation to recover from the events of the past twelve months. And it is thanks to our donors that we can undertake this vital work.”

Support for students in hardship

Students experiencing hardship as a result of coronavirus (COVID-19) will be supported by £20 million of Scottish Government funding. A further £10 million has also been allocated to universities and colleges for income lost in providing rent rebates.

To complement the additional £30 million, the Scottish Funding Council is also repurposing £5 million of student support funding towards discretionary funding for FE students in the college sector.

Deputy First Minister John Swinney said: “The impact of the pandemic on students has been significant. Not only has there been disruption to their education, we know that many students face financial difficulties with accommodation, associated costs or challenges in getting jobs. This additional £20 million will help to alleviate the financial pressure and stress facing many of our students.

“We are also supporting institutions, many of which have lost revenue by giving students rent refunds or rebates, with an additional £10 million.

“This announcement builds on the £37 million package of support the Scottish Government has already provided to support students during the pandemic.”

Matt Crilly, President of NUS Scotland, said: “NUS Scotland welcomes this crucial support from the Scottish Government at a time when students are struggling. We know many of the traditional sources of student income have been decimated during the pandemic, so it is a relief to know there will be additional funding for those experiencing hardship.

“This support is essential in helping Scotland uphold its commitment to fair access to education. While Scotland has made important advances in recent years towards widening access to further and higher education, the pandemic has exacerbated existing inequalities and threatens to erode this progress. This funding helps ensure we are not only supporting students from all backgrounds into education, but also helping them stay in education.”

Shona Struthers, chief executive officer of Colleges Scotland, said: “We welcome any additional funding to support college students across Scotland at this incredibly difficult time.

“Many of our students are learning from home and with additional financial hardship caused by the pandemic – we are sure that the much-needed additional funds from Scottish Government will prove beneficial to students during this lockdown period. Colleges Scotland will work on behalf of the sector to highlight ongoing challenges.”

Details on how this £20 million assistance for students will be distributed will be confirmed shortly.

More information on the support available for students is available online.

Further support for Scottish grassroots music venues

  • Grants of between £10K and £70K available for grassroots music venues
  • Deadline for applications: Wednesday 3 February 2021

In response to the impact that the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic is having on art and culture in Scotland, on December 20, 2020 the Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop, announced an additional £4m in emergency funding for the Grassroots Music Venues Stabilisation Fund, delivered through Creative Scotland.

The purpose of the fund is to provide grassroots live music venues that were financially sustainable before Covid-19 with the funds to prevent permanent closure and stabilise until end June 2021.

Full eligibility criteria and further details are available on the Creative Scotland website.

Iain Munro, Chief Executive, Creative Scotland said: “In these extremely challenging times, this additional £4m in support of Scotland’s grassroots music venues is enormously welcome.

“Grassroots music venues are a vital part of Scotland’s cultural ecology, developing music and audiences as well as supporting talent. They will play a vital role in Scotland’s cultural recovery as and when we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The awards for the first round of the Grassroots Music Venue Stabilisation Fund were announced on Tuesday 22 September, when £2.2m in emergency support was provided to 68 venues across Scotland.

‘Significant additional support’ for taxi and private hire drivers

A new fund to support taxi and private hire drivers affected by the pandemic will launch this week.

Local authorities will directly approach an estimated 38,000 private hire and taxi drivers inviting them to claim a £1,500 grant to assist with fixed costs, boosting the support from other funding for loss of income available through the Scottish and UK Governments.

A new total of £57 million has been allocated by the Scottish Government – three times more than the allocation announced in December.

Councils will start contacting eligible drivers this week to brief them on their potential entitlement and ask them to provide supporting information and bank account details. They do not need to apply, or contact the local authority.

Finance Secretary Kate Forbes said: “We know how difficult this pandemic has been for taxi drivers and their families. They’ve truly gone the extra mile, continuing to provide a vital service for key workers and vulnerable individuals throughout the lockdown and beyond.

“Following the introduction of tighter regulations at Christmas I have trebled the budget originally announced for this fund to £57 million, enough to provide grants of £1,500 to all of Scotland’s 38,000 taxi and private hire drivers.

“It will help to support the taxi trade by augmenting existing support and assisting drivers in meeting fixed costs including licence plate fees, rental fees and insurance payments for taxis not on the road.”

To be eligible for this financial assistance taxi or private hire drivers must be licensed for the period 9 October 2020 to at least 31 January 2021. Applicants can choose whether the payment is made to a business or personal bank account.

More details and full eligibility criteria available here.

Other schemes open to taxi drivers include the Scottish Government’s COVID-19 Public Transport Mitigation Fund and the UK Government’s Self-Employment Income Support Scheme.

The Scottish Government has allocated £3 billion in business support since the start of the pandemic on top of support available through the UK Government.

£45m support package for schools

A new package of £45 million will help local authorities to provide support to schools and families as they deal with the challenges of remote learning during lockdown, Education Secretary John Swinney confirmed yesterday.

Councils may use the funding – sufficient to fund 2,000 additional teachers – for purposes including recruitment of additional staff, additional digital devices or to provide additional family support.

This is on top of £160 million already committed for education recovery since the start of the pandemic, bringing the total additional support provided to more than £200 million since the start of the pandemic. Private and third sector day care of children settings will also receive almost £4 million in temporary financial support.

Mr Swinney has also asked HM Inspectors of Education to commence with a national review of the quality and effectiveness of remote learning across the country with the first report published next Friday, 22 January.

The Scottish Government will ensure all appropriate mitigations are in place to support a safe return including enhancing our testing programme in schools. We expect that pilots of two different testing models – one using in-school testing with Lateral Flow Devices (LFD), and another involving at-home testing using PCR tests – will begin in a small number of schools from next week.

Mr Swinney said: “I appreciate only too well the additional burden home learning is placing on many of our children and their families. After the last period of school building closures we commissioned an Equity Audit, published today, to better understand the impact on children’s learning and health and wellbeing, particularly disadvantaged pupils.

“Since the start of the pandemic our funding has led to an additional 1,400 teachers and over 200 support staff being appointed. The new funding can be used to recruit further staff – which might include teachers, classroom assistants, administrative staff, home/school link workers or other support workers – as well as the resources that families and schools need to support home learning, including additional digital devices where there is any remaining unmet need, and other home learning resources.

“The quality and effectiveness of remote learning across the country will be reviewed by HM Inspectors of Education. A programme of ‘national overviews’, will commence immediately and last for the duration of remote learning. These will seek to identify what is working well and where further improvement is required. These overviews will be published weekly to ensure they are available for everyone to learn and build from, starting week ending 22 January.

“I am aware that remaining open for very small numbers of children creates pressure for some childcare providers, and I can therefore confirm we will make temporary financial support of up to £3.8 million available for each four week period of restrictions to day care of children providers and childminding settings caring for 12 or more children who remain open for vulnerable and keyworker children during these restrictions. We will confirm details as soon as possible.

“If the evidence tells us we can get some pupils back safely, we will do that, and we will ensure the package of mitigations in schools remains robust and tailored to the circumstances we face. As part of that work, we expect that pilots of two different testing models – one using in-school testing with Lateral Flow Devices, and another involving at-home testing using PCR tests – will begin in a small number of schools from next week, helping to inform options for wider rollout.

“I am grateful to our hardworking, dedicated teaching professionals for their intense work to plan, organise and deliver learning. The virus will be beaten, and schools will return fully to intensify our efforts to achieve excellence and equity for all of Scotland’s children.”

Advice and support for parents and carers is available at the Parent Club.

A third of young people could only last 4.5 months without family financial support

A third of all young people – those aged 18 to 34 – receive regular monetary ‘support gifts’ from their parents and grandparents, according to research from Legal & General Home Finance1.

According to the findings, of those who need financial support to make ends meet each month they could only maintain their current outgoings (e.g. bills, rent)  for up to 4.5 months if this support were to stop.

Many young people appear to utilise gifts from older family members to supplement their income. On average, since turning 18, young adults have received £19,347 in regular support gifts from their parents and grandparents2.

In 2020, the need for family support has increased further.

On average, parents who provide monthly support will give £1,356 a year, in the form of a monthly gift (or £113). This has increased by 26% in 2020, as parents  have added an additional £353 in support to help their children face the financial pressures of the pandemic.

The research comes at a time when young people are more dependent on family as a financial safety net than ever before, as Office for National Statistics results reveal that the unemployment rate among young people is far higher than the overall rate (14.6% vs 4.8%)3.

This pinch may be further impacted by a fall in seasonal jobs due to fewer available non-essential retail roles in the run-up to Christmas, typically filled by younger workers.

For parents that provide financial aid, the majority will come from their own savings (49%) or income (43%). 14% of parents will use property wealth such as the sale of property, to provide gifts. Legal & General has found that of its equity release customers, approximately 1 in 6 will use part of their payments to support gifting.

While most parents like to ensure gifting is split equally across any younger relatives (68%), in one in five cases (21%) the amount given varies across family members. This is usually driven by the individual’s needs (61%) but 27% parents admit they feel closer to the relatives they provide additional support to.

Claire Singleton, CEO of Legal & General Home Finance, said: “It is clear that without the generous gifting of parents and grandparents, many young people would be unable to independently sustain their lifestyle. The monthly cost may not initially seem high but as we can see from our data, the cost of gifting to younger family members can add up over time.

“In addition to monthly support, many parents and grandparents will be called on to provide additional one-off payments to help with large expenses like weddings or putting a deposit on a house.

“Utilising property wealth, by either downsizing or using equity release, can often be helpful here as it allows the opportunity to give a living inheritance without touching your income. However, these decisions aren’t easy and should be closely considered. Be sure to do your research, free information from the Money Advice Service is a great place to start, or, if gifting is likely to have an impact on your retirement income, turning to an adviser may be the right path.”

Many people who provide support are happy to do so, respondents to the research shared the following:

“I supported my younger brother when he started sixth form this year. It really makes me feel good, satisfied and enriched that I’m making a difference in someone else’s life.”

“We provided financial support to my partner’s children during the pandemic… they weren’t working, they didn’t have any savings to pay for their rent. We actually paid for all of them during the time of the lockdown. We’re quite happy to have supported them through it, I wouldn’t see them struggle.”

Those who receive financial aid often feel it brings them closer to their relatives, respondents to the research shared the following:

“It’s been hugely helpful for me as that gave me the push to buy at that time, it’s given me the chance to own my own home … It’s something I hope to be able to do for my own children in the future.”

“I recently received a sum from my aunt, she said she would rather be alive and see me make use of the money…since receiving it I definetely feel a lot closer to her. I just feel eternally grateful that she’s done that for me.”

NOTES

1.Opinium Research ran a series of online interviews among a nationally representative panel of 4,001 UK adults between the 25th September and 3rd October 2020

2.This is averaged across all people 18-34 who have received financial aid from their parents or grandparents.

3.https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/bulletins/uklabourmarket/november2020