Natalie Don, SNP MSP for Renfrewshire, has highlighted that from yesterday, everyone who receives support from Social Security Scotland will see an increase in the amount of assistance they receive.

In the 2024/25 Scottish budget, despite cuts from Westminster the SNP prioritised helping those who need it the most – which is why all devolved social security payments will be uprated in line with inflation.

This means that vital supports such as the Scottish Child Payment, the Winter Heating Payment and the Young Carer grant will all go up 6.7% from today.

In the face of a Westminster cost of living crisis, the SNP Government is using their limited resources to support household budgets and ensure those who need it most get the assistance they need.

Social Security Support Increases

It is clear that the SNP Government is taking significant action to protect household budgets in Renfrewshire North and West from a Westminster inflicted cost of living crisis.

Commenting, SNP MSP Natalie Don said:

“Despite brutal Westminster cuts to spending on public services, the SNP Scottish Government has chosen to prioritise helping out those who need it most.

“Social Security Scotland assistance, including the vital Scottish Child Payment, go a long way in ensuring that people in Renfrewshire are not living in poverty.

“From yesterday, each and every one of these support payments will increase by 6.7%.

“Scottish Child Payment, which helps the families of more than 327,000 children, is now worth £26.70 per child per week.

“A person eligible for the highest rate of Adult Disability Payment will receive £184.30 per week.

“Carer Support Payment, Scotland’s newest benefit, has gone up to £81.90 every four weeks. The benefit for unpaid carers launched in three local authorities last year and will be available across Scotland by Autumn 2024.

As communities across Renfrewshire North and West recover from the pandemic and face a Tory made cost of living crisis, the SNP Government’s spending review outlined record social security spending to help households facing increasing pressures. The Scottish Government allocated around £23 billion for social security over the course of the parliamentary term.

The focus on supporting households under increasing pressure reflects the SNP’s commitment to create a fairer Scotland by tackling child poverty, reducing inequalities and supporting financial wellbeing in Renfrewshire North and West, and builds on current efforts to help families and mitigate Westminster welfare cuts.

The Resource Spending Review outlined over £23 billion worth of payments, with a total of almost £1.8 billion for the ‘game changing’ Scottish Child Payment alone. By 2026-27 the budget for Social Security Assistance will have increased by £6.3 billion.

This is despite the Scottish Budget for this year being cut in real terms by 5.2 per cent by the Tory UK government and the SNP government already spending almost £770 million on cost of living support, including several measures for families in Renfrewshire North and West not available elsewhere in the UK, such as:

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 90,00 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
Providing everyone in primaries one to five and over 140,000 eligible children and young people access to a free school lunch
Making free bus travel available for nearly half of Scotland’s population through concessionary travel

Additionally, the Scottish Government is making investment in areas like energy efficiency to bring down costs and the spending review set out how SNP will build on these over the coming years.

Commenting SNP MSP for Renfrewshire North and West Natalie Don said:

“I am very glad to see this record investment in social security by the SNP Government, putting such a strong focus on tackling child poverty and helping households in Renfrewshire North and West who are facing severe pressures right now which seems likely to only increase for the next while.

“Many families across Renfrewshire North and West are already benefitting from support like the Scottish Child payment, a £150 council tax reduction, the Scottish Welfare Fund and Discretionary Housing Payments which mitigate Westminster’s cruel bedroom tax.

“These are policies that built on the SNP’s current efforts. They will make a real difference to people’s lives and build on long standing measures that we benefit from every day – such as free prescriptions, free university tuition, free personal care, and 1,140 hours of free early learning and childcare which will continue to be maintained.

“When times are tough, Governments have to make tough decisions and I’m grateful the SNP continue to focus on what matters most to people but it is acting with one hand tied behind its back as Westminster continues to inflict its cruel austerity agenda at a time when people need support the most.

“Once again, it is clear that only with the full powers of independence that we can stop spending a fixed budget on protecting households against Tory cuts and start to properly build a fairer, more equal Scotland.”