Tag: free advice

Giving children the best start in life

Support of over £2,600 available through pregnancy and early parenthood

The birth of a new baby can put financial pressure on household budgets, but there’s a wide range of financial support available from the Scottish Government to ensure children have the best start in life.

Families receiving Universal Credit or certain benefits could be eligible to more than £2,600 in financial support during pregnancy and their child’s first year of life, helping with the costs of welcoming a new baby.

Expectant families can apply for the Best Start Foods pre-paid card as soon as they find out they are pregnant, helping ease the costs of buying healthy food.

Families can also apply for Pregnancy and Baby Payment from the 24th week of pregnancy. The one-off payment can be used to purchase anything families might need for having a baby, such as a pram, toys or baby clothes.

Scottish Child Payment is also available once the child is born to help with anything needed to help raise their new baby.

Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Shirley-Anne Somerville, said: “Welcoming a new baby is a special and exciting time, and families should have the support they need as they prepare for the arrival of their child.

“This package of support, worth thousands of pounds for eligible households, provides extra help from pregnancy through to a baby’s first birthday and beyond. Backing families in those vital early months is central to our mission to eradicate child poverty, helping parents provide the opportunities every child deserves and giving them the best possible start in life.”

Danielle turned to her local Citizens Advice Bureau after struggling to meet essential costs while caring for her 7 month old baby alone. Financial pressures had become so severe that she was considering selling her home.

But with support from Scottish Child Payment and Best Start Foods helping to ease food shopping bills, Danielle said she and her baby had enough to eat and did not need to use a food bank.

Assistant Director for Policy and Research at Citizens Advice Scotland, Emma Jackson, commented: “Evidence from across the Citizens Advice network shows the important role that pregnancy and early years payments can play in helping families through periods of financial insecurity and change.

“Support such as Best Start Grant, Best Start Foods and Scottish Child Payment can help ease financial pressures, enabling families to afford the essentials and support children to get the best possible start in life.

“Local Citizens Advice Bureaux are there to provide free, confidential and expert advice that’s available online, over the phone or in-person to help people apply for the support they’re entitled to and make sure they don’t miss out on payments that can make a real difference to their family.”

Edinburgh academic wins place on US – UK exchange programme

An Edinburgh academic who set up Scotland’s first free ‘tax clinic’ for people on low incomes has won a place on a US-UK exchange programme.

Dr Amy Lawton’s Scottish Tax Clinic has helped vulnerable people overturn tax debts of more than £100,000. She hopes to learn from the US, where the tax clinics have been in operation for many years.

Dr Lawton’s free advice service is open to anyone in Scotland who has run into problems with their tax returns and who cannot afford to pay for professional advice. She helps around 100 people per year, sometimes cancelling penalties of thousands of pounds.

Her pioneering clinic at the University of Edinburgh works in partnership with the tax charity TaxAid UK, and is staffed by local, professional volunteers and law students at Edinburgh Law School where she is a senior lecturer. It allows law students to put theory into practice with real-life cases whilst also helping those who have nowhere else to turn.

Dr Lawton said: “My Scottish Tax Clinic is the only free, dedicated tax clinic in the UK, but tax clinics are a much bigger thing in the US where it is much easier to get pro bono tax advice if you are on a low income.

“Tax has a reputation for being a rich person’s problem but people on all levels of income get into trouble with HMRC.

“Often they’ve forgotten to fill out their tax return due to severe personal circumstances or they are juggling multiple jobs without the correct tax code. Some of the penalties involved mean they can soon stack up thousands of pounds of debt.”

Dr Lawton has won an All Disciplines Scholar Award from the US-UK Fulbright Commission and will spend a term at Villanova Law School, the home of one of the oldest tax clinics in the United States.

The Villanova Federal Tax Clinic represents, litigates for and provides a voice for low-income taxpayers. It plays a crucial role in making sure the US tax system is fair for individuals who may otherwise not have a voice.

The US was Dr Lawton’s inspiration when she established the UK’s very first tax clinic whilst teaching at Lancaster University.

When she moved to the University of Edinburgh the clinic moved with her, and it remains the oldest one in operation in the UK, and the only one solely devoted to tax support.

Dr Lawton added: “Citizens Advice Bureau won’t provide advice on tax, so there are very limited options for professional advice unless you have the money to pay for it.

“The tax charities (such as TaxAid UK) and the Scottish Tax Clinic provide a vital service for those with nowhere else to turn. Not everyone needs a lot of help, but some people have tax debts of thousands of pounds.

“A lot of that debt is usually penalties for late filing. If you are more than a year overdue with your tax return there is a fine of £1,600, even if you don’t owe a penny in tax. The Scottish Tax Clinic has been successful at appealing these kinds of crippling debts, which can be life changing for those involved and can avoid them having to file for bankruptcy.

“I realised that the US has so much experience in this field that we can really learn from here in the UK. My tax clinic is successful, but it is still a very isolated resource. The US started with just one clinic and now there is a network of government funded clinics, allowing people all over the country to access independent advice.

“I’m hoping that, following my Fulbright Commission exchange, I’ll be able to make that strong argument that tax clinics should be more present in the UK.”

The US-UK Fulbright Commission was established in the aftermath of the Second World War to foster better understanding between the US and the UK, and promote the empathy gained from cultural immersion.

Active in 150 countries, the Fulbright programme is the largest international education exchange in the world: more than 370,000 people have participated in it globally since it began, and over 25,000 have received US-UK Fulbright awards. 

Sixty-two Fulbright alumni have won Nobel Prizes; 88 have won Pulitzer Prizes and 40 have served as head of state or government.

Maria Balinska, Executive Director of the US-UK Fulbright Commission, said: “Our vision is a world where there are no obstacles to learning, understanding and collaboration.

“Today there are many global challenges to overcome, and the world needs compassionate leaders to tackle them.

“This year’s cohort of awardees will be placing cultural engagement at the heart of their experiences as they undertake ambitious study and research programmes in the US: I am filled with hope for the wonderful collaborations that will ensue.”

Dr Lawton will join a cohort of 31 Fulbrighters heading to the USA from the UK for 2024-25.

Beyond learning from the Villanova clinic, Dr Amy Lawton’s Fulbright project seeks to explore the impact of legal representation in the tax court in both the US and the UK.

As a Fulbright Scholar, she is keen to learn how her clinic can grow, by immersing herself in one of the most experienced tax clinic countries in the world: the United States of America.

Miles Briggs visits British Gas Post Office Pop- Up in Waverley Mall

Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, visited the local British Gas Energy Trust Post Office Pop-Up in Waverley Mall yesterday.

It was launched to provide free money and energy advice in person to those struggling with energy debt over winter.

The Edinburgh pop-up comes as data from the British Gas Energy Trust shows 40% of people in Edinburgh say that certain cut-backs they’ve made due to cost of living have negatively impacted their mental health.

Other findings include:

  • 34% of people in Edinburgh have limited their usage of household appliances and 39% are reluctant to use heat or electricity within the home making the cold months daunting.
  • The rising cost of energy has caused 40% of people in Edinburgh a fair amount of additional stress with 28% of people thinking they’ll struggle to pay their energy bills in the coming year
  • 34% of parents have cut down on their own food consumption to be able to feed their children. 

Rolling out across the country, the British Gas Energy Trust is bringing its pop-ups to Edinburgh for the public to visit on 29th & 30th January and at a second Edinburgh location on the 5th & 6th February (14a Westside Plaza, EH14 TSV) – helping people seek money and energy support and advice through the support of locally funded projects.

This includes checking eligibility for energy grants of up to £1,500 for all customers, regardless of energy supplier.