Families in Stirling to Receive £165,100 Support from Scottish Government
Low income families in Stirling have benefitted from £165,100 over this year’s summer period. The same families will benefit from a £320 uplift before Christmas as part of the Scottish Government’s commitment to tackling child poverty.
Evelyn Tweed MSP has welcomed the payments, highlighted by Social Justice Secretary Shona Robison during a debate on commitments in the SNP Scottish Government’s Programme for Government which aim to create a fairer society.
Families eligible will receive payments of £160 per child in October and again in December. Two Bridging Payments of £100 have already been made which takes the total to £520 this year.
The cash is equivalent to the Scottish Child Payment – a £10-a-week benefit to assist with the costs of caring for a child aged under six years old. The Scottish Government will extend the Scottish Child payment to all eligible under-16s by the end of 2022 and are committed to double the payment to £20 per week as quickly as possible.
The Social Justice Secretary highlighted the payments in the Scottish Parliament just a day after the six Tory MPs failed to vote to stop the UK government’s plans to cut the incomes of six million people across the UK by £1040 a year – the biggest cut to welfare since the 1930’s.
Stirling MSP Evelyn Tweed said:
‘Many families in Stirling are finding times tough right now. The pandemic’s impact on household finances is very real, and has only been compounded by the cost of the Tories’ Brexit obsession and their unrelenting, cruel austerity.
‘I’m pleased to see our SNP Scottish Government doing right by people in Stirling with these payments, meaning £520 will be put in the pockets of local low incomes families.
‘The Scottish Child Payment is already the most ambitious anti-poverty measure currently being undertaken anywhere in the UK and we have committed to doubling it to £20-a-week per child as soon as possible in this parliamentary term.
‘Building a better future for children right across Stirling and Scotland is at the heart of the SNP’s Programme for Government.
‘As the Tories plough on with their indefensible move to cut £20-a-week in Universal Credit from those who need it most, the SNP Government are using the powers we have to provide real, practical help for families in Scotland. It’s crystal clear that the only way to keep Scotland safe from Westminster cuts is to become an independent country.’
Notes:
https://www.gov.scot/news/boost-for-family-budgets-before-christmas/
The bridging payments are made to all eligible children in receipt of free school meals due to low income. The first two bridging payments were made in April and July to align with Easter and summer holidays. Overall around 148,000 children across Scotland are eligible and the total investment will be over £77 million a year.