Cost of crisis payouts hits the£1mmark
CASH payouts in Crisis Grants have smashed through the £1m mark in Glasgow in the last year, according to the latest figures.
The help given to people facing an emergency from the Scottish Welfare Fund has reached record levels in the city.
Glasgow accounted for more than 20 per cent of the cash given out across Scotland for a crisis grant in 2015/16.
In the city last year £1,311,670 was allocated, a rise of 33 per cent, to more than 12,000 people, an increase of 20 per cent.
The figure is the first in the three years of the fund to have been above £1m and the latest figure for March this year was the highest monthly total since the fund was set up.
Crisis Grants are given to people in an emergency following a disaster such as a fire or flood in the home or where money has been lost or stolen.
The fund also includes Community Care Grants of which showed a drop of half a million pounds in the city with £437,000 allocated.
Across Scotland £25.5m was spent on Community Care Grants, intended to help people settle in the community after a period in care or with one-off costs for items such as a cooker.
John Dickie, of the Child Poverty action fund in Scotland, said the fund needs to be increased to help all those in need.
He said “Many families still aren’t accessing the support they may be eligible for, and too many people in an income crisis still end up at a foodbank when they could be getting a crisis grant.
“More needs to be done to promote the fund and help people access it and with Glasgow and several other local authorities already spending close to 100 per cent of their allocated funds it is vital the fund is increased in the future to meet needs of all those eligible for help.”
The Scottish Government said the fund was a lifeline for people in need.
Social Security Secretary Angela Constance said: “No-one in Scotland should be living in poverty, and it is crucial we support those most in need, when they need it.
“This can be especially important in times of desperation or emergency, or when people have been affected by delays in benefits.”
Opposition MSPs, however, said not enough support was being provided as overall cash allocated from the funds was down by more than £2m.
Mark Griffin, Labour Social Security spokesman said: “Labour supported the establishment of the Scottish Welfare Fund but the SNP Government must ensure vulnerable families get the support and advice they need.
“At a time when people across Scotland are struggling with welfare reforms and a cost-of-living crisis, it is worrying the Scottish Welfare Fund is spending less to help those needing support.”