£5 million paid out to support Highland families
More than £5 million has been paid out to Highland families in help towards the costs of being pregnant or looking after a child according to new figures.
Social Security Scotland said the sums - part of £164,448,957 paid out across the country as a whole - were paid through the Best Start Foods payments and Best Start Grants, two of the benefits administered by the devolved body.
Subscribe to receive our free email newsletters
A total of £5,613,040 has been paid out across the Highland region between 2018 and June 2024, following 11,000 successful applications.
The news was welcomed by SNP MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross Maree Todd who said: "The SNP government is rightly proud of the different approach we have taken in Scotland to social security – one which, in stark contrast that of the DWP (Department for Work and Pensions), is rooted in dignity, fairness and respect.
“As a result, families across the Highlands have received over £5 million in support since 2018 – despite the very limited powers of Scotland’s parliament and over a decade of Tory and now Labour austerity.
“I am pleased to see 11,000 families receive the support they need, which will make a real difference to the lives of children across my constituency, as we work towards the First Minister’s mission of eradicating child poverty.”
