WIREDGOV

Scale of issues in Dumfries and Galloway laid bare on visit to Citizens Advice.

Nearly £3 million will protect thousands of Dumfries and Galloway residents this year and next from the impact of UK welfare cuts.

The money supports people in crisis through the Scottish Welfare Fund, Emergency Food Fund and tops up money for people who lose out through the bedroom tax.

Latest statistics show that across Dumfries and Galloway over the last year, nearly 5,000 applications were made to the Scottish Welfare Fund, while over 2,000 awards were made to mitigate the impact of the bedroom tax.

The scale of the support was laid out by Social Justice Secretary Alex Neil yesterday as he visited Dumfries and Galloway Citizens Advice Service to meet food bank advisors.

Mr Neil said: “People across Dumfries and Galloway are feeling the effects of the UK Government’s punitive and far reaching cuts, causing untold worry and stress. That is why the Scottish Government has made finding ways to help those most affected a central plank of our approach to mitigate the welfare reforms and tackle poverty and inequality.

“From giving emergency support for those in crisis, to replacing income lost through the bedroom tax, the Scottish Government is helping thousands of local people get back on their feet.

“Staff at the Dumfries Citizens Advice Bureau see the debilitating effects on people day in, day out. The local food project officers are doing great work to help people get the right advice at local foodbanks - that is the impact of these cuts which we are determined to help avoid.”

Sue Irving, chief executive of Dumfries and Galloway Citizens Advice Service said yesterday: “Dumfries and Galloway Citizens Advice Service is at the sharp end of the impact of poverty in our region and daily we see people in desperate situations. Funding from the Scottish Government is making a real difference to our ability to help those in need and we welcome the opportunity to share our experiences today with the Cabinet Secretary.”

Mr Neil will also visit SHAX in Dumfries, a charity that supplies furniture and white goods at minimal cost to people in Dumfries and the surrounding area facing hardship brought about by homelessness. SHAX was awarded £2,000 from the STV Child Poverty Appeal, which has received £1 million of Scottish Government support.

Notes To Editors

Funding in Dumfries and Galloway in 2014 -16:

• Scottish Welfare Fund - £1.44 million for grants and administration
• Discretionary Housing Payments to mitigate the impact of the bedroom tax - £1.4 million (2015-16 funding for Dumfries and Galloway yet to be confirmed);
• Emergency Food Fund - £48,000.

In April 2013, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) abolished two elements of the Social Fund - Community Care Grants and Crisis Loans - and transferred funds previously spent on them to the Scottish Government. In its place, the Scottish Government established the Scottish Welfare Fund, a national scheme run by local authorities, to provide a safety net to people in a disaster or emergency or to enable people to live independently or continue to live independently, preventing the need for institutional care.

Discretionary Housing Payments are made by Local Authorities to housing benefit claimants who qualify for support. Once DWP allocations are known, the Scottish Government contributes extra funding to help those affected by the Bedroom Tax.