You may have seen in the press or on our social media channels that the Council agreed a package of measures to support those most in need during the ongoing Cost of Living crisis when it met last month.
You can read about the additional £2.1 million support in our news release that we issued after the meeting. The measures are:
- An additional £200 Winter Support Payment for each eligible child (£100 in October and £100 in December) benefiting 2,273 children/1,362 families and costing approximately £454,600
- Additional Farmfoods vouchers to support those families in extreme short-term need with food provision, costing £2,000
- An additional £210,000 to address the projected overspend for the Scottish Welfare Fund as a result of unprecedented demand
- Energy vouchers for Council tenants and homelessness cases (three x £49 vouchers, each between October and March) to help with energy bills, supporting 3,704 tenancies and 205 homeless cases and costing approximately £574,623
- An allocation of £500,000 to East Dunbartonshire Leisure and Culture Trust (EDLCT) to deliver a programme of free gym and swim access which will benefit the Council’s 17,291 primary and secondary pupils, between November 2022 and March 2023. Free swimming will be available for Council primary school children in any of the EDLCT leisure centres and Council school pupils aged 12-18 will be able to access a range of free gym sessions.
A series of FAQs has been published on the EDLC Trust website to explain the free gym and swim programme.
In addition to the latest support package, we have also produced a Cost of Living Support page on our Council website, which includes details of our Council measures that are available and also provides information and guidance on other support that may be available under a range of headings, including:
- Benefits and money - Information on Council Tax, Council Tax reduction, Crisis Grants, Income Maximisation, Universal Credit
- Children and Families – Information on Free school Meals, Clothing Grants and Education Maintenance Allowance, Free Swim and Gym sessions
- Energy Bills – Provides some information, links and support on energy
- Housing – Information on Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP), Homelessness Service, Local Housing Allowance and Travel
- Free period products – Giving information on where to find products
- Foodbank – Details locations of foodbanks across East Dunbartonshire.
Our Employee Zone is available anytime from any device, so why not take the time to visit and see if you are eligible for any of the wide range of support measures that are currently available?
There is also plenty of information on wellbeing support too which is also really important during these challenging times.
Thank you.
Ann Davie
Depute Chief Executive