SAT - Allover - Chris Morphet
Monday 9 December 2024
 3.1°C   SSW Light Breeze
Ocean Kinetics - The Engineering Experts

Community / More than £4.8m provided locally in benefits last year by Scottish Government

THE SCOTTISH Government provided people who live in Shetland with more than £4.8 million in support across 14 benefits in the last financial year, according to new analysis by Social Security Scotland.

The amount paid to people living in Shetland Islands is part of the £1.9 billion in direct payments throughout Scotland.

The 14 payments, seven of which are not available anywhere else in the UK, provide support while people deal with the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.

Eligible people who get benefits through the Scottish Government include carers, disabled people and families, pensioners, young people starting jobs and people who need help paying for a funeral.

Cabinet secretary for social justice Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “We are committed to tackling poverty and supporting people throughout Scotland.

“At a time when families are struggling with the ongoing cost-of-living crisis we have been delivering 14 benefits, seven of which are only available in Scotland.

“Winter Heating Payment is a reliable annual payment to people on low incomes in Scotland, including pensioners receiving Pension Credit. We continue to offer vital support to families through our five family payments, including Scottish Child Payment, which was helping support more than 329,000 children and young people by the end of 2023-24.

“We are focused on ensuring people get the money they are entitled to and that we deliver these payments while treating people with dignity, fairness and respect.”

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.