Ukrainians in the UK will be helped into their own homes as part of a £150 million funding allocation.
The funding will be divided across the UK according to the number of Ukrainians in each nation: c.£109 million for England, c.£30 million for Scotland, c.£8 million for Wales and around c.£2 million to Northern Ireland.
Funding can be used by councils to help Ukrainian families into the private rental sector, help them get jobs, and continue sponsorship for guests’ second year in the UK.
Local authorities are best placed to understand the support needed for local communities and, within England, this funding will be used to help people remain in their current accommodation or find alternative housing, including in the private rented sector.
The Homes for Ukraine scheme has welcomed over 124,000 Ukrainians to the UK, with almost half of working-age nationals now in employment and settled into their local areas, having had the right to work, receive benefits and access public services from day one.
The Department for Transport has also announced it will extend the length of time Ukrainian refugees can drive in the UK on their home country driving licence, from one year to three, in a move that will help many continue the lives and jobs they have forged since arriving here.
Minister for Housing and Homelessness, Felicity Buchan said: “The UK has an honourable tradition of offering shelter to those fleeing the horrors of war. Thanks to the extraordinary generosity of hosts in this country, over 124,000 Ukrainians have now found safety in the UK.
“Sadly, the fighting in Ukraine shows no sign of ending soon, so we are appealing for more people to become hosts while providing councils with this additional funding to support guests into long-term housing.”
Petro Rewko from The Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain said: “Ukrainians everywhere are grateful to the government and the British people for opening their homes and hearts to Ukrainians fleeing their homes as a result of Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine.
“We welcome today’s announcement, which recognises the commitment of sponsors and local authorities during difficult economic times and will provide additional support and reassurance to Ukrainian families as they rebuild their lives and seek to overcome the trauma of war.”
The UK government will continue to work with the Ukrainian government, the devolved administrations, local authorities and charities and voluntary groups to support guests and sponsors under the Homes for Ukraine Scheme.
The government is keen to ensure that Ukrainian guests receive the support they are entitled to while they are in the UK, and are helped into employment and long-term suitable accommodation, as soon as possible.
Hosts in the UK will continue to receive a monthly £350 thank-you payment during guests’ first 12 months, rising to £500 a month during the following 12 months.
THE ROBERTSON TRUST has announced that six organisations have been awarded over £1.7M under their Financial Security Programme Awards. All of the projects are working to deliver big change that lasts on tackling poverty and trauma in Scotland.
Through our Financial Security theme, we want to fund, support and influence to improve income adequacy, income security, reduce cost-related pressures on finances and improve financial safety nets for people in financial trouble.
We made an open call for long-term change project ideas through our Programme Awards in October 2022 for organisations focused on delivering big change that lasts on financial security in Scotland.
Our Programme Awards will allow us to work alongside some of the organisations best placed to achieve impact on poverty and trauma in Scotland, allowing us to learn from them and them from us as we go.
The successful organisations include proposals to develop strengthening social security in Scotland, reducing the costs of essential goods and services, and preventing and relieving financial crisis now and in the future in Scotland.
We are pleased to share details of the organisations awarded funding:
One Parent Families Scotlandawarded £384,678.00. This project will deliver evidence-based recommendations to achieve transformational change to the UK child maintenance system to contribute to reducing child poverty. A partnership with One Parent Families Scotland, IPPR (Scotland) & Fife Gingerbread, each organisation will lead on different strands of work, while working together across all activities. Ambitious policy proposals will be developed, at both Scottish and UK government levels, to radically reform the child maintenance system (CMS), informed by robust evidence and lived experience. The project aims to see action to tackle immediate shortcomings of the existing child maintenance system, and secure public and political support for long-term, systemic reform.
The Poverty Alliance– awarded £492,697.00 to fund new work to tackle rural poverty. Too often people living on low incomes in rural parts of pay a premium for essential goods and services – food, energy, transport, etc. ‘Taking Action on Rural Poverty’ (TARP) will develop new ways of addressing rural poverty in Scotland by reducing the rural poverty premium. The project will do this by bringing together people with direct experience of poverty, community and voluntary organisations, the private sector and public bodies to identify and test solutions to the poverty premium. It will also work to improve processes to involve people in local decision making and to make changes to national policy that will affect rural poverty.
Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) – awarded £249,866.00 CPAG strengthening social security project aims to ensure the delivery of Scottish Child Payment and other national and local payments provide greater financial security and stability for those on the margins of entitlement or excluded altogether. The project will develop new ways of bringing together the voice of lived experience and CPAG’s social security expertise to develop and promote approaches that will ensure more families can access Scotland-based payments, and that these payments can be relied upon throughout changes in family’s circumstances. In so doing it will not only aim to prevent families being pulled into poverty but also look to secure greater financial stability for families in Scotland.
Save the Children – awarded £249,761.00. The aim of this ambitious project is to inspire and coalesce public support around sustainable policy solutions to meet Scotland 2030 child poverty targets and deliver financial security in Scotland. The project will provide evidence and deeper insight into public attitudes across Scotland on different interventions that could sustainably drive down child poverty. Importantly, it will build a narrative framework – informed by these insights and our lived experience panel – and work with partners across the sector to ensure policy makers and campaigners have evidence on where the public has an appetite for change. Through engagement and influencing the project will build a network of champions to help ensure that findings and insights are lived and breathed and can have real world impact far beyond the lifetime of this project.
The Trussell Trust – awarded £230,000.00. The Trussell Trust is launching a three-year project that will help gain an understanding of how to provide better access to and engagement with local advice and support services that reduce destitution and prevent food bank use. The project as a whole will run pilots in six areas – Glasgow, Perth & Kinross, North Lanarkshire, Dundee, Orkney, and Aberdeenshire. By testing different models in six localities that represent key geographies of Scotland, the aim is to learn which interventions work in different areas, support community-led priorities, evaluate and learn comparatively from their experiences, and make recommendations to local and national government. The Robertson Trust is providing funding to part-fund the whole project, alongside a number of other funders.
University of Strathclyde (Fraser of Allander Institute) – awarded £158,742.00. The Fraser of Allander Institute and the Scottish Commission for People with Learning Disabilities (SCLD) are collaborating to address the limited understanding of the additional costs of disability in Scotland. The social model of disability recognises that people are disabled by barriers in society not by their impairment or disability. The extent to which financial barriers constrain and impact the lives of people with a learning disability and their families is a key part of our research. This project, co-produced with a researcher with lived experience, will provide valuable evidence for the Scottish Government for future programmes of social security reform.
Commenting on the announcement of the new Programme Awards, Robertson Trust Head of Programmes and Practice, Russell Gunson, said: “I’m delighted to share the details of the Robertson Trust’s new programme awards today.
“Each of the awards we have made have demonstrated the potential to deliver big change that lasts on poverty and trauma in Scotland. We’re really excited to be working together to make the most of the potential for long-term change in Scotland.
“Our support comes at a time when people and places facing poverty are experiencing gale force winds against them and their living standards. We have been living through crisis after crisis, stretching back through this cost-of-living emergency, the Covid-19 pandemic and at least back to the financial crash 15 years ago.
“It is often hard to think long-term when the immediate challenges are so pressing but the Trust has protected significant funds for this long-term change work so that we can prevent poverty and trauma in the future, while also helping to make a difference here and now.
“We will only be successful if we commit to the belief that things can change – we’ve made progress before and we know we can again – if we build the participation, partnerships and coalitions necessary to make change irresistible, and if we build social change over the long-term to reshape the systems and structures that sit underneath why we have the levels of poverty, trauma and inequality that we do.
“We look forward to working with each of the projects and are keen to learn alongside them, to understand what helps and hinders in achieving our mutual ambition of ending poverty and trauma, and its negative impacts, in our society.”
Commenting on the announcement of the Programme Awards, David Reilly, Communities and Networks Manager at the Poverty Alliance said:“Rural poverty is an issue of growing concern for the Poverty Alliance.
“This important grant from Robertson Trust will not only allow us to test ideas to practically take action on rural poverty, but will also help us to strengthen the networks and relationships that we need to make long term progress on rural poverty.”
John Dickie, Director of Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) in Scotland said:“Child Poverty Action Group in Scotland is delighted to be awarded funding by The Robertson Trust. This grant provides us with a unique opportunity to help shape the way Scottish Child Payment and other local and national payments support those currently on the margins.
“It will enable us to bring our expertise together with the voice of lived experience to prevent poverty and increase families financial stability by helping create more inclusive, consistent and secure financial support through the social security system”.
Satwat Rehman, CEO of One Parent Families Scotland, said:“One Parent Families Scotland is delighted to receive this funding from The Robertson Trust. Child maintenance is an issue which single parents have raised with us time and again, calling for there to be a fairer and more equitable system.
“Four in ten children in poverty in Scotland live in a single parent family but maintenance payments can contribute to the costs of raising a child and in giving them a decent quality of life.
“However, over £474 million in child maintenance in the UK has gone unpaid – money owed to children. This is an issue of children’s rights and the rights of the child to financial support.
” Working alongside our amazing partners IPPR Scotland and Fife Gingerbread we will develop ways of supporting families through the maze that is the current child maintenance system and work with families to design a model that works for them and contributes to lifting children out of poverty. “
Claire Telfer, Head of Scotland, Save the Children said:“We are thrilled to have received The Robertson Trust grant for this exciting work.
“We believe this will be a game-changing project in the development of policy and actions to drive down child poverty and we can’t wait to get started”.
David Brownlee, the Trussell Trust’s Financial Inclusion Lead, Scotland, said:“We are delighted to be partnering with The Robertson Trust for this ambitious project. The Trussell Trust has just released its end of year stats, showing the highest levels of need ever in Scotland.
“The record levels of need seen this year, represents a 50% increase in the number of parcels distributed by food banks in the Trussell Trust network in Scotland compared to five years ago in 2017/18.
“The chronic cost of living crisis has only deepened our commitment to end the need for food banks in Scotland and the whole of the Trussell Trust network – this project will play a key part in enabling us to see how to achieve that aim.”
Emma Congreve, Deputy Director of Fraser of Allander Institute, said: “The Fraser of Allander are delighted to be collaborating with SCLD and embarking on this project to produce better evidence to underpin more effective policy for people with learning disabilities in Scotland, especially as this will enable us to recruit and support a researcher with lived experience which we would not have been able to do without this investment.”
Community support for third year of fund to help more projects
Projects to support mental health and address social isolation and loneliness in adults will share a further £15 million this year.
The Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for adults, launched in 2021, has now provided around 3,300 grants to community organisations delivering mental health and wellbeing support, bringing total investment to £51 million.
Activities will target older people, areas of economic deprivation, people with long term health conditions or disability and LGBTI communities. The Fund has also had a particular focus on responding to the cost of living crisis, which remains a priority this year.
Improved mental health and wellbeing support is one of the commitments in the Scottish Government’s Policy Prospectus, which outlines firm actions to be achieved by 2026.
Health Secretary Michael Matheson visited Pause and Breathe, a social enterprise, in High Bonnybridge yesterday (Friday 21 April) where he announced the additional funding.
He said: “This investment reflects the importance we place on promoting good mental health and early intervention for those facing mental health challenges – ensuring that people can access a range of different types of help to match their needs.
“The Fund will continue to support a range of valuable community mental health and wellbeing projects, reflecting one of the priorities set out by the First Minister earlier this week.”
Pause and Breathe was awarded £10,000 from last year’s fund to offer a variety of wellbeing sessions and activities. Work is underway to change a building that has lain unused in High Bonnybridge for 20 years.
Managing Director Susie Hooper said: “This funding will enable us to hold free weekly wellbeing sessions throughout the whole year and means we can support people who wouldn’t otherwise attend due to financial constraints.”
A community garden in Granton, the arts agency in Wester Hailes and a village shop in West Linton are all set to benefit from the Scottish Land Fund
Granton Community Gardeners has received £89,902 to acquire land in Granton where GCG will continue to host various community activities related to the growing and sharing of food to around 700 visitors per month.
Across the city WHALE Arts Agency in Edinburgh has been given £157,483 to bring their entire project into community ownership by buying the land that the current WHALE building sits on.
Community ownership of the land will secure the future of this well-used amenity from which WHALE Arts have delivered services and activities to the community for 30 years.
And West Linton Enterprise Group has received £97,600 to purchase a building in West Linton, Scottish Borders. The group currently uses this asset and will continue to use the building as a volunteer-run community thrift shop and local art gallery called The Knot.
The projects are amongst 16 across the country that have received grants totalling £1,972,701 from the Scottish Land Fund.
Tom Kirby, Development Manager, Granton Community Gardeners, said: “We’re excited to be able to move forward with ownership of our Community Garden, which has been created through the hard work, skills, and dedication of our local community.
“This is now secured for the long term, opening up more possibilities to improve it, and for more people of all ages to enjoy the space; and to grow, cook, share and eat more food together.”
Dr Andrew McNiven, Chair, WHALE Arts Board, said: “WHALE Arts is delighted to have been granted this funding which will support us in our Community Asset Transfer. T
“his ensures community ownership of the WHALE Arts site for the people of Wester Hailes. We’re grateful for the support of the Scottish Land Fund in this important step for WHALE and the community of Wester Hailes.”
And Allison Glasse, Co-Chair, West Linton Enterprise Group, said: “We are so pleased to have been awarded this grant, which will enable us to take our small retail outlet into community ownership.
“We are excited by the future possibilities of making The Knot into a real local asset, run by community, for the community and raising money for local organisations and projects.”
Cara Gillespie, Scottish Land Fund Committee Chair said: “Every one of these grants allows for the provision of assets and services that individual groups have identified as being essential to their areas.
“This localised approach helps to strengthen both urban and rural communities.”
Sandra Holmes, Head of Community assets at HIE, added: “The successful projects announced today across Scotland are all great examples of people taking control of local resources for the long-term benefit of their communities.
“For example, the Coigach Community Development Company, through the purchase of the land at the former hydroponicum site, will now be in a position to build much-needed affordable community housing. The new homes are vitally important to create a sustainable future for the area.
“All these projects announced today will help retain the population, attract visitors and create jobs. Ownership will give the community groups greater control over important assets that will reap rewards for people now and for generations to come. We wish all the successful groups the very best in their new ventures.”
Other groups receiving funding are:
Alyth Development Trust
Award – £76,774
Alyth Development Trust will purchase the Milhaugh site in Alyth, Perth and Kinross. The group intends to develop the site in order to provide a broad range of outdoor community activities.
Coigach Community Development Company
Award – £304,700
Coigach Community Development Company will purchase the former Hydroponicum site in Achiltibuie, Highland. They will develop affordable housing and an amenity space on the site, to strengthen the community’s long-term viability.
Concrete Garden
Award – £140,287
Concrete Garden, Glasgow, will acquire two sites, one currently used by the group and another vacant site nearby. Concrete Garden will continue to deliver community growing and creative play activities for the community and expand their outdoor services onto a new site.
Dunoon Community Shed
Award – £153,000
Dunoon Community Shed will acquire the former ceramics factory in Dunoon. DCS will continue to offer multiple activities to the local community to build skills, reduce isolation and provide a community gathering space.
The Heart of Argyll Wildlife Organisation
Award – £136,192
Heart of Argyll Wildlife Organisation will purchase Argyll Beaver Centre at Knapdale, Argyll. They will continue to provide educational and volunteering opportunities from the centre, alongside their conservation work.
Inspire Inverary
Award – £121,374
Inspire Inverary will acquire and restore Inverary Pier in Argyll. This will provide safe access for leisure, water sports and fishing activities, increased use by yachts and cruisers and offer opportunities for investment in moorings, pontoons and slipways.
Nether Lochaber Community Association
Award – £45,186
Nether Lochaber Community Association, Highlands, will take ownership of the Inchree Barn. The group plans to repair the building to address isolation in the community by providing a community hub for people and groups to meet.
Netherthird Initiative for Community Empowerment
Award £111,268
Netherthird Initiative for Community Empowerment will purchase Netherthird Community Centre in Netherthird, East Ayrshire, and continue to offer various community and wellbeing services from the building, including a community cafe.
Staffin Community Trust
Award – £116,064
Staffin Community Trust will purchase a slipway protected by a breakwater, plus onshore hard standing, a derelict boathouse and a parcel of land in Staffin, Skye. The Trust will continue to redevelop and improve the local harbour to serve a range of different users and meet the demand for onshore facilities.
Scenic Sandbank
Award – £119,890
Scenic Sandbank will acquire land in Sandbank, near Dunoon, Argyll, for the purpose of creating a community garden to develop the group’s horticultural activities and to provide an attractive green space for residents of Sandbank and the wider area.
Dornie and District Community Trust
Award – £66,316
Dornie and District Community Trust will acquire the former Dornie Store building in Dornie, Highlands. The group will renovate the building and reopen the shop and post office, establish a cafe and offer the flat above as an affordable rental opportunity.
Take A Bow Development Trust
Award – £65,650
Take A Bow Development Trust will purchase the Take A Bow Community Centre in New Farm Loch, East Ayrshire. TABDT will continue to run the site as a community centre offering a range of community-focused events and classes.
Tiree Community Development Trust
Award – £73,415
Tiree Community Development Trust will acquire land in Crossapol, Tiree and construct four light commercial business units, which will be leased to local businesses at affordable rates.
More than £130 million from proceeds of crime invested to support young people to date
Projects supporting young people are to receive up to a total of £20 million of funding recovered from the proceeds of crime.
The funding, which reinvests criminal assets recovered through the Proceeds of Crime Act, aims to provide support to young people at risk of entering the criminal justice system and communities impacted by crime.
A total of 29 organisations are to benefit from the sixth round of the CashBack for Communities programme.
They include GMAC Film, who support young people to kickstart a career in film-making as well as the Venture Trust and Aberlour Child Care Trust who both support young people with employment and other opportunities.
The programme holds a particular relevance to GMAC Film’s Chair of the Board, Kieran Howe, who took part in an early CashBack programme with GMAC 10 years ago. This experience played a significant role in his personal development and helped kickstart his career in filmmaking.
Kieran Howe, said: “It’s rare in life that we experience these kinds of full-circle moments. CashBack quite literally changed my life as a teenager, putting me on a path for a successful career in film-making.
“Being able to return to GMAC all these years later, and assist the team in delivering this programme as Chair, fills me with tremendous joy, and hope for the future of Scottish film-making talent.”
Justice Secretary Keith Brown said: “To provide the best chances for their future, we should nurture all young people to fulfil their potential – through interventions which help reduce the risk of offending and that encourage positive behaviour.
“For the past 15 years, Cashback has helped millions of young people across Scotland to find better futures and reach their full potential and we know from first-hand experience the transformational impact the programme has had on young people’s lives.
“This phase of CashBack received more than 150 applications – the most ever – and our latest round of funding takes total investment in the programme to more than £130 million. This fund underlies our commitment to support young people to live full, healthy lives and help address some of the underlying causes of crime.”
Phase 6 of the CashBack for Communities programme will run from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2026 with an increased overall programme budget of up to £20 million.
Organisations to benefit from the latest CashBack funding will be:
Organisation
Grant Award
*Aberlour Child Care Trust
£480,000
Access to Industry
£547,781
Action for Children
£645,695
*Avenue Confidential
£311,184
Barnardo’s
£1,010,623
basketballscotland Limited
£475,000
Bethany Christian Trust
£264,658
Celtic FC Foundation
£675,000
Cyrenians
£805,017
*Edinburgh Young Carers
£218,128
*Glasgow Media Access Centre Ltd
£241,515
Impact Arts (Projects) Ltd
£569,500
Mayfield and Easthouses Youth 2000 Project
£284,543
Ocean Youth Trust Scotland
£475,000
Police Service of Scotland
£298,154
Rangers Charity Foundation SCIO
£379,000
*RUTS
£423,474
Scottish Football Association
£1,570,000
Scottish Professional Football League Trust
£624,507
Scottish Rugby Union
£1,590,000
Scottish Sports Futures
£1,451,077
Scottish Youth Dance
£396,904
*Starcatchers Productions Ltd
£245,538
Station House Media Unit
£348,210
*Strengthening Communities for Race Equality Scotland –
THE SHOW WILL GO ON AS MUCH-LOVED THEATRE WINS REPRIEVE
Councillor Finlay McFarlane, the SNP representative for the city centre, has led the charge to find money to secure the future of the 117 year old Kings Theatre in Tollcross.
The councillor, who credits the theatre as giving him his first professional work after graduating Drama School, rallied council colleagues to offer financial support for the Edinburgh institution securing a pledge from all five political Parties in the recent budget to part-fund the and called on UK and Scottish Governments to meet the remainder.
The Kings restoration project was thrown into jeopardy when the UK Government rejected a City of Edinburgh Council bid for Levelling Up funds but Cllr McFarlane was delighted that, having called on Culture Minister Neil Gray to rescue the plans, the Scottish Government has announced £3.85 million to fully plug the hole and save the theatre from shutting its doors for good.
Cllr McFarlane said: “I am over the moon to see the cultural, economic and historic importance of the true people’s theatre recognised and supported by the Scottish Government.
“Since the outcome of the levelling up bid was known, I have been working with colleagues to explore options to find the remaining money needed. Closing the doors on The Kings Theatre for good was simply not an option. This shows the SNP’s commitment to culture in the capital city of Scotland”.
Organisations supporting victims and survivors of crime in Scotland will receive a £500,000 boost from a fund that takes money from offenders.
Seven organisations – including Victim Support Scotland and Survivors of Human Trafficking in Scotland – will share grant funding to provide practical help directly to victims.
This includes paying for emergency housing costs, meeting food, utility and clothing expenses, and helping with costs to repair or replace damaged property or goods and for mental health services such as counselling.
It is the third tranche of payments from the Victim Surcharge Fund – which comes from the additional penalties imposed on offenders who receive a court fine – since its introduction in 2019.
To date, the Fund has helped more than 1,200 people affected by crime, with around £917,000 awarded – a clear sign of how the Scottish Government continues to prioritise victims.
Justice Secretary Keith Brown said: “It is absolutely right that criminals should pay towards helping victims of crime as they recover from their experience.
“Over the past five years we have invested £93 million through our justice budget to put victims’ rights and needs at the centre of the criminal justice system, demonstrating our commitment to putting victims first.
“This latest funding we are awarding from the Victim Surcharge Fund will help people impacted by crime to access support when they need it most while enabling organisations such as Victim Support Scotland and Survivors of Human Trafficking in Scotland to provide even more help to victims and their families.”
Kate Wallace, CEO of Victim Support Scotland (VSS) said: “Confirmation of this funding means that VSS can continue this vital and life-changing support to people affected by crime and who have no other means of financial support.
“The cost-of-living crisis has meant that more people affected by crime are struggling to make ends meet. Funding from the Victim Surcharge Fund allows VSS to provide essential items such as food vouchers, property repairs, alarms and funeral costs, thereby meeting the needs of vulnerable victims immediately following a crime.
“Since April 2020, VSS Emergency Assistance Fund has provided £903,000 worth of goods to 3,143 people and their families, funded in part through the Victim Surcharge Fund. We accept applications directly from people affected by crime and have received referrals from over 200 support organisations.
The following organisations are set to benefit from the Victim Surcharge Fund in 202:3
Victim Support Scotland (VSS) – £440,000
Edinburgh Women’s Aid – £25,559
Survivors of Human Trafficking in Scotland (SOHTIS) – £7,700
Central Advocacy Partners – £5,000
Women’s Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre Dundee & Angus – £10,000
Extra funding to help offset UK Government benefit cap
The Scottish Government is providing £8.6 million in direct support for people affected by the UK benefit cap as part of its work to tackle child poverty.
An estimated 4,000 families with around 14,000 children are now able to apply for extra financial support through their local council’s Discretionary Housing Payments scheme.
Social Justice Secretary Shona Robison said: “We are increasing funding to help bridge the gap between what people need in benefits from the UK Government and what they actually receive. Eligible households could be £2,500 better off on average per year as a result.
“We will spend up to £84 million in 2023-24 on Discretionary Housing Payments to mitigate not only the UK Government’s bedroom tax and the on-going freeze to Local Housing Allowance rates, but now also the benefit cap which is pushing families into hardship.
“Our child poverty targets are ambitious and that is why we are choosing to invest significantly more in social security than the funding we receive from Westminster and helping to mitigate the damaging impact of UK Government welfare cuts.”
John Dickie, Chair of the Child Poverty Action Group, said: “Mitigating the UK benefit cap is absolutely the right thing to do. Support for struggling families shouldn’t have an arbitrary limit that pushes children into deeper poverty.
“It’s now vital that everyone affected by the benefit cap applies to their local authority for a Discretionary Housing Payment to replace as far as possible the cash support removed by the cap. The Scottish Government has done the right thing, now the UK Government must act to scrap the cap altogether.”
Laura Millar, Strategic Manager at charity Fife Gingerbread, which helps lone parents and families in need, said: “Last year Fife Gingerbread supported the ‘Scrap the Cap’ campaign calling on Westminster to end the benefit cap and the financial hardship this causes.
“Therefore, the Scottish Government’s commitment to empower local authorities to mitigate the impacts of the benefit cap using Discretionary Housing Payments is a positive step.
“Although the number of households affected across Scotland may be relatively small this is an important measure. The greatest risk is that households may be unaware of their entitlement, and every year millions of pounds of benefits go unclaimed. Therefore, we must all raise awareness of this announcement to ensure those most in need of support receive it.”
Funding for benefit cap mitigation by Scottish local authorities through Discretionary Housing Payments is as follows:
2022-23
£2.6 million
2023-24
£6 million
Total
£8.6 million
The benefit cap is a UK Government policy which limits the total amount of benefit that most working age people can receive, even if their full entitlement would be higher.
Holyrood and Scotland’s councils on collision course
Measures to ensure that teacher and pupil support staff numbers as well as school hours are protected have been announced by Education Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville.
The Scottish Government has committed to increasing teacher numbers by 3,500 during this Parliament.
Since 2017/18 local authorities have received funding to protect the pupil-teacher ratio, teacher numbers and to provide places for all probationers who need one.
Additional annual funding of £145.5 million is also being provided to maintain increased teacher numbers and support staff. In the year ahead (2023/24), if this is not delivered by a local authority, the Scottish Government will withhold or recoup funding allocated for these purposes.
Regulations will also be introduced under legislation passed by the Scottish Parliament in 2016 to enshrine a statutory minimum number of school hours.
Ms Somerville said: “The measures I have outlined today demonstrate our unyielding commitment to closing the attainment gap and making Scotland the best place in the world to grow up.
“We are committed to recruiting more teachers and support staff, and we have already provided significant additional funding to Local Authorities to help ensure this happens.
“The Scottish Government recognises the challenging budgetary decisions facing councils and that is why the Deputy First Minister has committed to delivering a new deal for local government. However, this Government has a clear commitment to improving education – and maintaining both teacher and support staff numbers and learning hours is crucial to that.
“I recognise the importance of strong partnership working between local government, central government and Education Scotland to achieve our ambitions.
“I will be writing to COSLA today, and each individual council in the coming days, to set out the details on protecting teacher and support staff numbers, and next steps on learning hours.”
COSLA HIGHLIGHTS MASSIVE CONTRADICTION IN RELATION TO EDUCATION AND COUNCIL FUNDING
COSLA yesterday (Tuesday) highlighted to the Scottish Government a massive contradiction in relation to Scottish Education and council funding.This followed an emergency meeting of Council Leaders on Friday and ahead of Ms Somerville’s Parliamentary statement.
At Friday’s meeting Council Leaders reacted with great disappointment to the Scottish Government’s cutting of Local Government’s funding on the one hand whilst at the same time legislating/intervening to prevent headlines showing the unpalatable consequences of those cuts.
Councils are unanimous that attainment is not just about teacher numbers, especially in areas where school rolls are declining, and depends also on a wide range of other council services and support staff.
Accordingly, councils must be left with the flexibility to manage their inadequate budgets to minimise the impact on attainment and the other services the public depend upon. To do more than this will require the Scottish Government to provide additional funding, not more restriction.
Council leaders were clear that Local Government wants to protect education. Councils want to continue to improve the attainment and achievement of children and young people, whilst also retaining the teachers and support staff that are required to do this. It’s the Budget which is putting these things at risk, not Local Government.
COSLA said that the reality is that Scottish Government Budgets over a decade have left us with a funding crisis in Local Government the likes of which have never been seen before.
Commenting yesterday in a joint statement, COSLA’s Presidential Team said: “The timing and approach of the Scottish Government’s latest move undermines the democratic mandate of Local Government and is a U-turn on previously agreed flexibilities for councils over their budgets.
“It is not the case that Local Government wants to cut any of our services; we have to work with the budgets we have and unless there is more funding, we are forced to make democratic decisions on priorities for the communities we serve.
“On the one hand our budgets have been cut in real terms, and on the other hand the Scottish Government is intervening with additional policies which means significant cuts will have to be made in other areas that support children, young people, families and our communities.
“We have been clear about the limited options facing Local Government because of the Scottish Government’s Budget for 2023/24, a view which is shared by the independent body Accounts Commission.
“We have also highlighted the impact of the initial proposed interventions on other Local Government services, including those which directly support the attainment, health and wellbeing of children and young people.
“These latest asks and the Government’s narrative demonstrates a Government who does not fully value and respect Local Government’s role. Asks of this nature are addressing a symptom, not the cause.”
Funding will help tackle social impact of rising cost of living
Projects supporting people most at risk of social isolation and loneliness will receive a share of almost £1 million support funding announced today.
The money will help to provide warm spaces, hot meals, group activities and fuel payments to people most at risk of isolation including older people, young parents, carers and disabled people.
Organisations to receive grants/funds include Age Scotland, who will continue to deliver their ‘Keeping The Doors Open’ grants programme, and Chest, Heart and Stroke Scotland who are recruiting Urdu and Punjabi-speaking volunteers to make Kindness Calls.
Equalities and Older People’s Minister Christina McKelvie said: “Social isolation and loneliness can affect anyone, especially at this time of year when people can struggle to get outside and socialise. The pandemic and the cost of living crisis have increased isolation for some people, including young people, carers and disabled people.
“The funding will be a lifeline for a range of organisations who are helping to keep people connected during this challenging time.
“This fund is just one of the many crucial steps that we are taking to tackle social isolation and loneliness as part of our plan, A Connected Scotland.”
Chest, Heart & Stroke Scotland’s Chief Executive Jane-Claire Judson said: “We know that living with a disability or long-term condition can be hugely isolating and that for those who are unable to read or communicate fluently in English, this isolation can be even more significant.
“This funding from the Scottish Government will greatly enhance the ability of our support services to reach non-English speaking and minority ethnic populations in Scotland to reduce isolation and loneliness.
“Ultimately, it will allow us to engage with and support more people across Scotland who are living with chest, heart and stroke conditions, better enabling them to live their lives to the full.”
Chief Executive of Age Scotland Mark O’Donnell said: “Older people’s groups have an incredibly important role in communities across Scotland, supporting health and wellbeing, physical activity, tackling loneliness and food insecurity.
“Our research has identified that around 200,000 over-65s rely on groups like this but the impact of Covid-19 and spiralling inflation has meant that these lifelines have been facing incredible pressures to keeping their doors open. We’re incredibly grateful that the Scottish Government took notice of our research and our ask of greater financial support for older people’s groups.
“The funding will help many such groups and clubs meet the rising cost of energy bills, food, transport and venues to meet, ensuring that their members can stay connected and are able to be as well as they can be.”
18 projects and organisations will receive a share of £971,019. They are:
