VULNERABLE and low-income families can now benefit from an emergency payment after Scottish Borders Council's executive committee passed the proposal.

A report investigating ways to further support individuals facing hardship was discussed at a meeting of the committee last Tuesday (February 9) – with councillors agreeing to the recommendations put forward.

One of the proposals in the report to help struggling families during the coronavirus pandemic was to introduce a £75 emergency payment.

Regarding the payment, the report states: "Vulnerable and low-income families that may be in hardship are considered a high priority.

“During the current COVID-19 restrictions, Scottish Borders children from 3 to 18 are receiving remote learning instead of being in school. This situation is placing additional financial strain on families, including additional costs for utilities and printing resources etc, that are required to support online learning.

“This pressure on family budgets will be proportionately greater on those families with the lowest incomes, coupled with the negative impacts due to parents and carers having to adjust hours or being on furlough.”

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The report continues: “It is therefore proposed that an emergency payment of £75.00 (totalling £98,475) is made to those families (approximately 1313 families/2246 children) that qualify for Free School Meals across the Scottish Borders.”

The emergency payment will only be available to families with children who were receiving free school meals prior to the pandemic.

Jenni Craig, the council's neighbourhood services director, said this decision was taken to ensure the money could be rolled out as quickly as possible.

She added: “I would say to anyone struggling, get in touch.”

Responding to a question on how quickly the payment could be in people’s banks, Ms Craig said: “We’re looking at the payments before the end of the month but making that as quick as we possibly can.

“The money is only available until March 31 so get in as early as possible.”

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SBC has been allocated £330,000 of a £30 million national allocation for local authorities to help families going through financial hardship.

The report put to the executive committee outlines other ways that the council intends to help, such as providing money to families with disabled children under 18 who are not eligible for the Child Winter Heating Assistance payment.

The funding – which would reportedly be used to make payments of £200 per child – would be given to families identified using information that the council currently holds.

SBC also intends to use its allocation to expand the Connecting Scotland programme “to fill in any gaps in digital inclusion”.

Speaking at the meeting, Robin Tatler, SBC’s executive member for community developments, said: “Poverty is not something new – it existed before COVID-19.

“But what COVID-19 has done is put an awful lot more people into poverty that wouldn’t have otherwise been affected by it.”

The independent councillor for Tweeddale East added that he thought the report was “proactive and reactive”, urging people to come forward to get help.