£5.4m funding to help Scots affected by benefit cuts

NICOLA Sturgeon today announced a £5.4 million funding injection to help Scots affected by cuts in the benefits system.

NICOLA Sturgeon today announced a £5.4 million funding injection to help Scots affected by cuts in the benefits system.

• Ip to 1 million Scots will lose out following changes to child benefit which will see it cut for high earners

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MPs are set to vote through changes in benefits which will see increases pegged at just 1 per cent

• Citizens’ Advice Bureaux dealing with nearly 800 new issues every working day

Up to 1 million Scots are set lose out in changes in child benefit which will see it cut for high earners, as well as capped increases of 1 per cent in the years ahead.

Thousands will also lose out on housing benefit when a new “bedroom tax” is introduced which will see cuts if claimants have spare bedrooms lying empty.

The money unveiled by Ms Sturgeon will go to advice groups providing support and advice to those affected.

It comes as more than 20 Scottish charities have written to MSPs warning that the controversial new universal credit will see “disabled and vulnerable citizens” facing exclusion and losing the right to a normal life.”

The letter from MacMillan Cancer Support has been co-signed by Citizens Advice Scotland, SCVO, Age Scotland, Shelter and the RNIB.

MPs will today vote through the final stages of the bill which will peg increases in benefits at just 1 per cent in years ahead before universal credit is introduced.

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Ms Sturgeon said: “Many people across Scotland are suffering as a direct result of UK Government benefit cuts, and many more are concerned about how they may be affected by changes yet to come into force.

“Citizen’s Advice Bureaux across the country are currently dealing with nearly 800 new issues for every working day.

“And the latest extremely worrying analysis about the families affected by benefits illustrates exactly that point.

“This reflects our serious concerns about the pace, scale and impact of Westminster’s benefits changes. It is clear that the impact of the cuts will extend across Scottish society, with vulnerable groups, women and working families all likely to suffer.”

The announcement today will see an immediate cash injection of £300,000 for services such as those provided by Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS), as well as a new £1.7 million fund providing direct support to advice services. A further £3.4 million to be spent over the next two years on helping organisations mitigate the impacts welfare reforms.

It is estimated that around 1 million working age households in Scotland will be affected by the uprating of benefits by 1 per cent, announced in the Autumn Statement, reducing the total income of Scottish households by around £210 million by 2014-15.

Ms Sturgeon added: “This is just further evidence of the need for independence. We want a welfare system in Scotland that provides fair and decent support for all and protects the vulnerable in our society. The only way to guarantee that is to have possession of the powers to deliver it.”

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