Crisis fund has paid out more than £26m

A fund set up to help struggling people has paid out more than £26 million in nine months.

The Scottish Welfare Fund handed out £26.1 million in grants between April 1 and December 31 last year.

Figures released by the Scottish Government show the cash equates to three-quarters of the total fund available for 2016/17 and is £1.8m more than was awarded in the same period the previous year.

The fund distributes community care grants to help people live independently and crisis grants to provide a safety net in a disaster or emergency.

The figures show the number of crisis grants requested are rising while the number of community care grants are falling.

Social security minister Jeane Freeman said: “It is completely unacceptable that people find themselves in this situation through no fault of their own and we will continue to do all we can to support families and individuals who are struggling.

“We have recently had to extend the fund to ensure housing support is provided to 18 to 21-year-olds who will no longer receive financial assistance with housing costs under Universal Credit.”