A huge cash boost of £2.29million will go towards supporting the poorest people in Dumfries and Galloway over the next year as the cost of living soars.
The council this week approved additional cash support to families in poverty to help them put food on the table and heat their homes.
Various payments from the council will help mitigate energy bills rising from this month and an expected eight percent rise in inflation.
Struggling parents across Dumfries and Galloway are set to be given an extra £20 per week during the school holidays to help feed their kids.
A £350 cash payment will be made to approximately 3,600 people who have received a crisis grant or community care grant in the last 12 months.
Around 200 people who experienced homelessness in the last year, along with 500 vulnerable older people who rely on the council’s CareCall service, will also be receiving £350.
The overall investment was unanimously agreed at the council’s finance, procurement and transformation committee on Tuesday.
Stranraer and the Rhins Councillor Tommy Sloan said: “I welcome the £2.29m and I welcome the way that it has been allocated.
“I think it’s going to be much-needed.” However, he insisted that the new council administration – due to be elected in five weeks’ time – must also provide sufficient financial support.
He said: “I’m sure the council administration wouldn’t like to think that when they leave they’re going to leave the taxpayers in abject poverty.
“I hope that’s not the
case.”
Annandale North Councillor Adam Wilson, chairman of the finance committee, said: “We’re utilising this fund, and we’ve got a number of budgets in place to support people across Dumfries and Galloway who are in poverty.
“This is an administration that has repeatedly put in support for families.
“I think it’s clear that the next financial year is going to be worse for families, and I think that this really needs to be the beginning of the support we provide families, not the end.
“I certainly hope that the new council, when it’s elected, will continue to look at the ways we can
support.”
Mark Molloy, the council’s service manager, said: “I can provide members with the reassurance that the Poverty and Inequalities Partnership is taking a very proactive role in ensuring that all the available supports are there for individuals who need it within the region.”
The schedule for distributing all payments has still to be confirmed.
