Virtual public meetings have been organised as part of Stirling Council’s consultation on the expansion of secondary specialist provision for young people with additional support needs (ASN).
The consultation will ensure the Council can support the growing number of children and young people with ASN.
In Stirling, this has risen from 2,817 in 2013 to 3,528 in 2019.
Read more here - Virtual events organised for specialist education consultation - Stirling Council
North Ayrshire Council is launching a new advice service with the aim of making it easier for residents to access support with their personal finances.
The new ‘Better Off’ is initially being piloted for a two-year period.
Read more here - New service aims to help people become 'Better Off' (north-ayrshire.gov.uk)
Taxi and private hire drivers across Edinburgh are to receive more funding as top-up payments of £1,000 each will be distributed by the City of Edinburgh Council.
This will be paid out to those who received the initial grants of £1,500 through the ‘Taxi and Private Hire Driver Support Fund’ and will be done using the same details used for the first grant without any need for further application.
Read more here - Edinburgh taxi trade to receive a £4.4m boost from Council’s Discretionary Fund – The City of Edinburgh Council
North Lanarkshire Council has reduced the number of households living in fuel poverty by 4,000 over the past year, improving the lives of our tenants and residents and reducing our carbon emissions.
This year’s Scottish House Condition Survey results show the significant progress the Council is making in tackling fuel poverty and our commitment to meeting the Scottish Government’s 2040 Fuel Poverty target.
Read more here - Lifting families out of fuel poverty | North Lanarkshire Council
Fife Council is reminding tenants that help is available if they’re struggling to pay their rent.
Convenor of the council's Community and Housing Services Committee, Councillor Judy Hamilton, explained: "Having a home is a basic human need and we can help you if you’re struggling to keep up you rent payments. We’re urging people to ask for help before problems get out of hand."
Read more here - We can help you with your rent | Fife Council
Planning consent for an affordable housing and a care village development with up to 200 properties at Bilbohall has been given by Moray Council.
The approval signals a key milestone in the Bilbohall Masterplan, which was revised in 2018 and was identified in the Moray Local Development Plan as having the potential to play an important role in the sustainable expansion of Elgin.
Read more here - Bilbohall development gets go ahead (moray.gov.uk)
North Ayrshire Council has completed major improvement works at Connell Court, Kilbirnie, marking the culmination of the latest project to deliver modern, accessible homes for older residents.
The finishing touches were completed recently, breathing new life into the refurbished sheltered housing complex.
The £2.114m works – supported by Scottish Government grant of £969,000 – have brought extensive improvements to the properties which are designed to specifically meet the needs of older residents.
Read more here - Connell Court sheltered house refurbishment complete (north-ayrshire.gov.uk)
West Lothian Council is bringing expertise from education and social policy services together to form a new service to target early intervention and support for local children and families.
The new Inclusion and Support Service will take a holistic approach to early intervention and support for young people and their families when it launches in April 2021.
Read more here - New service dedicated to supporting West Lothian families
Agreement has been given to hold a consultation on Scottish Borders Council's draft Anti-Poverty Strategy.
The Strategy has been developed as part a Borders-wide commitment to supporting individuals, families and communities experiencing hardship, whether that is as a result of economic, fuel, housing, food, digital or any other type of poverty.
Read more here - Consultation to be held on Council’s draft Anti-Poverty Strategy | Scottish Borders Council (scotborders.gov.uk)
Perth & Kinross Council has created a new fund to help tackle financial insecurity and support households with essential needs and priority debts over the winter. The Financial Insecurity Fund has been created using the Council’s share of £20 million provided by the Scottish Government for this purpose.
All households that are in receipt of Council Tax Reduction and that have children under six-years-old as of 11 December 2020, or a child of any age with a disability, will receive a one-off payment of £80 for each eligible child.
More info here - Perth & Kinross Council - New fund to tackle financial insecurity (pkc.gov.uk)