WEST LOTHIAN FAMILIES BENEFIT FROM NEW SCOT GOV PAYMENT

WEST LOTHIAN FAMILIES BENEFIT FROM NEW SCOT GOV PAYMENT

3,025  West Lothian families have benefitted from new welfare payments introduced by the Scottish Government.

The Scottish Government opened the Best Start Grant for applications in December 2018.

The payment provides parents or carers who get certain benefits or tax credits with financial support during the key early years of a child's life.

In the first year of their introduction, payments worth £ 816,841 have been made to West Lothian families.

The Best Start Grant provides payments to eligible families at the birth of children, at nursery age and at school age.

Commenting, Almond Valley MSP Angela Constance said:

“The Best Start Grant provides crucial financial support to families at key stages of their children’s lives, and I’m delighted that 3,025 of families in West Lothian have already benefitted.

“This is just one of the ways the Scottish Government are working to tackle child poverty – with the first payments of our innovative new Scottish Child Payment set to be made this year.

Notes:

The Best Start Grant is an expanded replacement for the UK Government’s Sure Start Maternity Grant.

Social Security Scotland began taking applications on Monday 10 December 2018.

The Pregnancy and Baby Payment replaces and expands on the UK Government's Sure Start Maternity Grant by:

• providing eligible families with £600 on the birth of their first child and £300 on the birth of any subsequent children
• not putting a limit on the number of children that are supported
• extending the application window from 24 weeks pregnant to 6 months after the birth, giving clients longer to apply