£1.3m dished out to those in need
Emergency cash payments to hard- up families in the Paisley area reached almost £1.3million in the first three months of the year.
New figures show Renfrewshire Council shelled out £ 831,448 in Community Care Grants between January and the end of March 2017.
The average payment, usually made for household essentials, such as floor coverings, beds, soft furnishings, white goods and furniture, worked out at £ 607 per award, according to figures released by the Scottish Government.
The council also paid out £455,074 in Crisis Grants, usually handed out to help skint families pay for emergency food, or keep their power on, in the first quarter of the year.
And figures show a staggering 81 per cent of Crisis Grants are accepted by local authority paymasters, while two- thirds or 66 per cent of Community Care Grants are approved.
The most common reason for Renfrewshire families asking for a Community Care payment is to help people remain in their own homes.
The most common reason for a Crisis Loan is a household emergency, often caused by a delay in their benefits being paid.
The statistics show the demand for social welfare cash in Renfrewshire is even higher than it was last year.
The number of Crisis Grants in Renfrewshire went up, with 8,480 families applying for cash in 201617 — 60 more applications than in 2015-16.
The proportion of Community Care Grants handed out to families has also increased by one per cent over the last year.
The information has been released by Scotland’s chief statistician showing how the welfare fund is being spent in council areas across the country.
Social Security Minister Jeane Freeman said: “The Scottish Welfare Fund continues to provide a vital lifeline, supporting over a quarter of a million low income households, who are suffering from emergency and disasters, in the last four years.
“For many, it provides much needed help for the everyday items that no one should be denied simply because of the hardship they face.”
She added: “It is not acceptable in 2017 that people find themselves in these situations through no fault of their own.
“Nor is it acceptable that the Scottish Government is having to plug a gap created by the UK Government so that we can try to keep people from even further hardship.
“This fund underlines our commitment to put dignity and respect at the heart of our plans for social security.”