Entitled families to receive clothing grants
Efforts have been stepped up to ensure families in Castlemilk, Toryglen and Kings Park get the School Clothing Grant ( SCG) they are entitled to.
Part of the new anti-poverty campaign — People Make Glasgow Fairer, the initiative will see the £52 grant, designed to help pay for school uniforms, automatically sent to families who meet the criteria.
It means 5,000 families in the city who have not applied for the money, but who are entitled to it, will receive the payment in December.
The council has cross referenced data it holds on housing benefit and council tax reductions with school rolls to identify those who are eligible.
It has also upped the SCG payment by £ 5 which will be back dated to this year, meaning that around 20,000 families will receive a further award of £5.
The council will also now pay the sum routinely each year to those that are entitled, without people having to apply for it separately.
The changes have been brought in following a call by the city’s Poverty Leadership Panel (PLP) to increase uptake of school clothing grants and free school meals.
Council leader Frank McAveety revealed the changes during Challenge Poverty Week which ended on Friday.
He said: “Our end game is to have a city where no one has to worry about money for food, housing and keeping warm. This campaign aims to start with making sure people get what they are due for their families. That’s only a first step. But we will build on it.
“I am heartened by the commitment and hard work of the members of the PLP in coming together to identify practical ways in which we can tackle the scourge of poverty that haunts too many people.”