Scottish Government figures show that, with only three months left, almost half of the Discretionary Housing Payment fund has yet to be distributed to vulnerable Scottish households. local MSP Jackie Baillie said:
Angry local MSP, Jackie Baillie, reacting to this situation, says: ‘Just last week, we saw that the Scottish Government had failed to help councils get much needed welfare fund money into the hands of vulnerable Scots who desperately needed support.
‘Now the figures for Discretionary Housing Payments show the same thing. With just three months left, almost half the money has yet to be given out.
‘While some local authorities like West Dunbartonshire Council are running out of cash to help struggling tenants, others such as Argyll and Bute Council have only spent one third of the available support.
‘We face the perverse outcome of handing money back to the coalition government if we don’t distribute it to those who are most in need. And yet despite this failure, the SNP don’t think that anything is wrong.
‘Once again, whilst the SNP argue for complete control over welfare, when they have additional resources handed to them, they fail to ensure that it is properly administered.
‘The complacency shown by Margaret Burgess is staggering.
‘If by April, Scotland’s councils are handing money back to the coalition government, then the responsibility for that will rest squarely upon her shoulders.’
Note: Scottish Government figures can be found here. See Table 3: DHP Spend Compared with Overall Limit (£), 1 April to 31 December 2013, by Local Authority.
