The number of families in West Lothian struggling with finances is growing

The number of people struggling with household finances is growing in West Lothian, despite the county having a lower unemployment rate than anywhere else in Scotland.
New figures presented to the Corporate Policy and Resources Policy Development and Scrutiny Panel show that almost 40 per cent of those receiving Universal Credit are actually in work.
And while Universal Credit is a nationally administered benefit, it has a knock-on effect on the costs the council faces in providing other help, such as help under the Council Tax Reduction Scheme (CTRS).

Both the national UC and the local municipal tax reduction scheme make the least use of all benefits.
Presenting his horizon scan of the economic climate, head of finance Patrick Welsh told the panel: “Unemployment at local authority level is measured by the proportion of people of working age who are not working.

“In West Lothian this is 2.6 per cent for January 2024, which is lower than the Scottish rate (3.8 per cent) and the UK rate (4.2 per cent).”
Earlier, the council’s anti-poverty manager Nahid Hanif told councilors: “According to the latest UC statistics published by the DWP State as of January 2024, 17,972 people are receiving UC in West Lothian, 63 per cent are out of work and 37 percent have work. .”
The top three areas with the highest levels of Universal Credit claimants are Craigshill, Whitburn Central and Dedridge East.
Ms Hanif said: “There are currently 14,479 households receiving CTRS, which is the highest since September 2021 and is steadily increasing month on month.
“There are a number of reasons for the increased caseload for the period 2023 to 2024. These include the change in Housing policy, with homeless tenants now liable for council tax and reducing the amounts used to calculate a person’s entitlement to CTRS have increased substantially compared This means that they are now likely to receive more CTRS or are now eligible.
“WLC recognizes that this is a pressure area as we are currently estimated to have overspent by £1.149 million at the end of February 2024. This will be checked monthly.
“While the number of CTRS cases continues to rise, it is worth noting that CTRS has the lowest customer take-up after Universal Credit,” Ms Hanif added.

She continued: “Universal Credit has been identified as the most under-claimed social security benefit, with an estimated £7.57 billion unclaimed across Britain.
‘There could be a number of reasons for this, from a lack of awareness or stigma to a reluctance to make claims due to the complexity of the system.
“Lack of social security income is a major cause of poverty, which is why the Anti-Poverty Service has introduced a dedicated advisor approach for anyone switching to Universal Credit to provide support to understand how the benefit works and ensure it income is maximized.”

Don’t miss the latest news from the West Lothian Courier. Sign up here for our free newsletter