1,435 children in Stirling have been supported by the Scottish Child Payment since its introduction by the SNP Scottish Government.
Since the support started putting extra money in the pockets of families, £679,130 has been spent supporting families in Stirling since February 2021.
The Scottish Government doubled the payment to £20 per week per child in April and will increase it further to £25 by the end of the year.
Commenting, SNP MSP Evelyn Tweed said:
“The Scottish Child Payment is a payment not available anywhere else in the UK. Its making a difference to families during a Tory-made cost of living crisis, supporting 1,435 children in Stirling.
“The Scottish Government introduced this payment as just one of a raft of support measures to build a social security system that is built on dignity, fairness and respect.
“Families in Stirling are already benefitting from further support, with the Scottish Government spending almost £770 million on cost of living support to help mitigate the impact of rising prices. This is despite the Scottish Budget for this year being cut in real terms by 5.2 per cent by the Tory UK government.
“No matter how much the Scottish Government continues to support households in Stirling, it does so with one hand tied behind its back as most of the levers of power are held by a Westminster government, who brutally cut Universal Credit at a time when people needed it most.
“That is why it is only with the full raft of powers that independence would bring that we can start to build a fairer, more equal Scotland.”
Support measures brought in by Scottish Government:
- Doubling the ‘game changing’ Scottish Child Payment to £20 per child per week with plans to increase it to £25 and extend it to under 16s by the end of the year – reaching a possible 450,00 young people.
- Investing £86m to mitigate the Tory Government bedroom tax and benefit cap and support 90,000 people in their tenancies
- Uprating eight Scottish social security payments by 6 per cent
- A brand new Low-Income Winter Heating benefit that guarantees a £50 annual payment to over 400,000 low income households in winter 22/23
- The Carers Allowance Supplement which will support around 90,000 carers with an additional £450 a year
If you would like to find out more information on Scottish Child Payment benefit and how to apply, please click on the following link: https://www.mygov.scot/scottish-child-payment.
