South Lanarkshire Council invests almost £100m to help tackle cost of living crisis

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Over £96m is being invested to support South Lanarkshire residents with the cost-of-living crisis.Additional funding of £4.68m has been announced by South Lanarkshire Council – which is on top of the £91.694m agreed by the Executive Committee on September 21 to help ease pressures faced by residents.The most recent package announced will put £4.68m towards allowing community groups to join a ‘warm welcome; initiative which will provide activities and places to go this winter as well as combating hunger by extending free school meals to cover weekends.The Lanarkshire Live app is available to download now.

Get all the news from your area – as well as features, entertainment, sport and the latest on Lanarkshire’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic – straight to your fingertips, 24/7.The free download features the latest breaking news and exclusive stories, and allows you to customise your page to the sections that matter most to you.Head to the App Store and never miss a beat in Lanarkshire - iOS - Android There will also be extra support for food banks and £49 vouchers to support people using prepaid energy metres.The package agreed in September 2022 included writing off school meal debt and support for tenants.Council Leader Joe Fagan said: “Even though the council has already put those supports in place, it is clear that the cost-of-living crisis that households are facing this winter will be worse than anything we have seen for 50 years.“That is why we are stepping in with this additional package, which is targeted to help those households most likely to struggle, especially those with specific costs such as to meet the needs of young people and coping with rising energy bills.“A key aspect is the ‘Warm Welcome’