SAT - Allover - Chris Morphet
Tuesday 3 December 2024
 3.5°C   SSE Gentle Breeze
Ocean Kinetics - The Engineering Experts
GR Direct - Winter Sale 2024

Council / SIC looks to distribute winter funding to more families

Shetland Islands Council leader Steven Coutts. Photo: Shetland News

AN EXTRA 168 families in Shetland are to receive financial support this Christmas thanks to the council diverting funding from the Scottish Government to those who need it most.

The government is providing £100 per child in receipt of school meals under its new winter support fund, which is based on national criteria.

It aims help those on low incomes, and children and people at risk of homelessness or social isolation, cope with the winter weather and the economic impact of coronavirus and Brexit.

Shetland Islands Council (SIC) leader Steven Coutts explained that the local authority has also received an extra £39,000 through the scheme which has an “element of discretion to support those in need”.

He said the SIC will use this funding to provide £100 per child to families who are not eligible for the main government scheme.

“We feel the national criteria is not broad enough to catch those families suffering financial insecurity,” he said.

“This is based on the work and knowledge of our staff in Shetland.”

Coutts said this will include eligible pre-school and school children receiving support like clothing grants – “all of whom would miss out at present but suffer financially”.

The councillor said this is a “significant” number.

It means a further 168 families in Shetland will receive support in addition to the 334 expected to benefit from the Scottish Government winter support fund.

“We are also ensuring that there is support for food and fuel over and above this for those in need,” Coutts said.

Orkney Islands Council, meanwhile, said this week that it would give a £200 direct payment to those children receiving free school meals – £100 from the Scottish Government payment and a further top up payment of £100 from the local authority.

Become a member of Shetland News

Shetland News is asking its many readers to consider paying for membership to get additional features and services: -

  • Remove non-local ads;
  • Bookmark posts to read later;
  • Exclusive curated weekly newsletter;
  • Hide membership messages;
  • Comments open for discussion.

If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please become a member of Shetland News by either making a single payment, or setting up a monthly, quarterly or yearly subscription.

 
Advertisement 
Advertisement 
Advertisement 
Advertisement 
Advertisement 
Advertisement 

Newsletters

Subscribe to a selection of different newsletters from Shetland News, varying from breaking news delivered on the minute, to a weekly round-up of the opinion posts. All delivered straight to your inbox.

Daily Briefing Newsletter Weekly Highlights Newsletter Opinion Newsletter Life in Shetland Newsletter

JavaScript Required

We're sorry, but Shetland News isn't fully functional without JavaScript enabled.
Head over to the help page for instructions on how to enable JavaScript on your browser.

Your Privacy

We use cookies on our site to improve your experience.
By using our service, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy.

Browser is out-of-date

Shetland News isn't fully functional with this version of .
Head over to the help page for instructions on updating your browser for more security, improved speed and the best overall experience on this site.

Interested in Notifications?

Get notifications from Shetland News for important and breaking news.
You can unsubscribe at any time.

Have you considered becoming a member of Shetland News?

If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please consider paying for membership and get the following features and services: -

  • Remove non-local ads;
  • Bookmark posts to read later;
  • Exclusive curated weekly newsletter;
  • Hide membership messages;
  • Comments open for discussion.