New figures show that 10,045 Welfare Fund payments have been made to support constituents across South Lanarkshire in the last year.

The Scottish Welfare Fund, consisting of Community Care Grants and Crisis Grants, is a national scheme funded by the Scottish Government and administered by local authorities which provides support to those most in need.

Latest figures have shown that in South Lanarkshire, 3,755 Community Care Grants have been awarded in addition to 6,290 Crisis Grants between July 2022 and June 2023.

Since the SNP introduced the Scottish Welfare Fund in 2013, £410 million has been awarded to support 519,890 individual households.

Welcoming the figures, East Kilbride MSP Collette Stevenson said: "The Scottish Welfare Fund is a vital resource that is supporting the most vulnerable individuals across East Kilbride and South Lanarkshire.

"The fact this support remains so vital is a damning indictment of the harm caused by over a decade of Westminster austerity.

"As Labour fail to commit to reversing Tory austerity policies – the SNP Government continues to deliver the support required to tackle poverty and mitigate Westminster’s cruel welfare regime."

The Scottish Government handed local councils £56 million to fund the scheme, which offers a range of grants to people already claiming benefits depending on personal circumstances.

More than £12 million of payments went to those struggling to put food on the table.

Councils received 288,880 applications for crisis grants in 2022-23 – eight per cent more than 2021-22.

Almost two-thirds (65 per cent) of applications were approved, with 186,330 awards made, a rise of six per cent from the previous year. The average payment in 2022-23 was £113.

The Scottish Government said it already handed £84 million to local authorities in the last year to fund Discretionary Housing Payments, which are used to directly offset the effect of UK Government welfare policies.

A UK Government spokesperson said: "We know people are struggling, which is why we have a plan to halve inflation and are providing record financial support worth an average £3,300 per household.

"On top of this we have raised benefits including Universal Credit in line with inflation, increased the National Living Wage and have given an extra £82 million to help people in Scotland with food, energy and other essential costs."

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