New heating support fund to help Inverclyde households

The Heating Support Fund will give one-off grants of up to £200 to help people with their heating bills during the colder months.

Councillors on the Policy and Resources Committee agreed at a recent meeting to allocate £382,200 for the fund and commission Advice Direct Scotland to deliver it.

National research and local insight from Inverclyde’s Anti-Poverty Partnership and HSCP Advice Services show a growing concern around energy affordability, debt, and energy supplier inaccessibility.

These issues have been compounded by wider socioeconomic pressures, leaving many residents vulnerable to cold homes, disconnection, and poorer health.

As a result, the Policy and Resources Committee approved the creation of a £600,000 Heating Support Fund in November 2024, funded from the Anti-Poverty Earmarked Reserve.

The committee has agreed to allocate £382,200 of this fund to support around 2,500 working-age households during winter 2025/26.

Convener of the policy and resources committee, Councillor Robert Moran, said: “This is a welcome fund and will make a real difference to people in Inverclyde this winter. We know that being able to pay the heating bills during winter is a very real worry for many people and this will help to ease that.”

The plan will be ‘cash-first’ and paid directly to applicants’ bank accounts. This aims to preserve dignity and flexibility for recipients. Where appropriate, applicants will also be offered a utility credit alternative or a hybrid model.

Once established, people can apply to the fund through multiple channels, including an online portal, by telephone, paper forms, and referrals from trusted partners such as HSCP Advice Services, East Renfrewshire Citizens Advice Bureau, and local support organisations. Advice Direct Scotland will manage application processing, eligibility checking, payments, and reporting.

Eligibility for the fund will depend on the applicant living in Inverclyde, under state pension age, responsible for paying the household fuel bill, have a gross annual household income under £27,000 or be a care experienced young person with a gross annual income under £32,000.

Applicants must also meet one of the following criteria:

• Household includes a child(ren) aged under 5.
• Household includes a disabled person or someone with long-term health conditions.
• Applicants are a carer (formal or informal).
• Applicant is aged 16–24 and living independently.
• Has been assessed as living in exceptional circumstances and approved for the grant by HSCP Inverclyde Advice Service or by a Trusted Partner approved by HSCP

Inverclyde for the specific purpose of endorsing applications for the Inverclyde Working Age Winter Fuel Support Scheme 2025-26.

Support will be given as following:

• £100 for single-adult households
• £150 for households with two or more adults
• £200 for households with dependent children.

As a result of the agreement at committee, the £100 Scottish Welfare Fund fuel cost crisis grant supplement will be withdrawn.

Work will now start to establish the fund with more information to come. An interim report will come back to the committee within three months of the launch of the fund. In the event of the fund being exhausted before the timing of the interim report, officers propose closing the scheme to new applicants.