Further to the announcements made yesterday please see attached the letter sent by Jean Freeman to all local authorities and COSLA. We know that this will raise a lot of questions and are seeking urgent clarification on who this applies to, how it is to be funded, how the money flows etc and will come back to you as soon as we have further details.
Extension of the Self-Isolation Support Grant
The £500 Self-Isolation Support Grant is being extended to include parents on low incomes whose children are asked to self-isolate, Social Security Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville announced today. The grant will also become available to those who may be eligible for Universal Credit, but have not yet applied.
Both changes will be introduced from 7 December.
More info here: https://www.gov.scot/news/more-people-can-claim-self-isolation-support-grant/
Universal Credit Claimant stats
We thought you might be interested in the most recent official statistics on people claiming, receiving, and starting on Universal Credit in Scotland, taken directly from the Department of Work and Pension’s (DWP) collection of Universal Credit Statistics. It also summarises recent statistics on unemployment benefit claims and
households affected by the Benefit cap.
The percentage increases are shocking and sobering and lay bare the increased pressures local authorities will face in supporting those most in need. Edinburgh has seen an eye-watering 184% increase in claimant count numbers since the start of the pandemic.
LG Pay 2021
We had another discussion with the other SJC TUs on the construct of the 2021 pay claim today and have made good progress towards a joint position. Another meeting is due to be held next week and we will update you on progress of those discussions as soon as we can.
Stirling UNISON 