MCALPINE WELCOMES SNP GOVERNMENT BEST START GRANT TO COME INTO FORCE FOR CHRISTMAS
LOWER-INCOME FAMILIES IN DUMFRIES AND GALLOWAY BENEFIT FROM EARLY PAYMENT
SNP MSP Joan McAlpine has welcomed the announcement that the first payments of the Best Start Grant will be delivered to families in Dumfries and Galloway in time for Christmas.
The Best Start Grant – which provides low-income families with financial support during the early years of a child’s life – will see eligible applicants receive £600 for their first child, £100 more than the UK government’s equivalent in England.
Best Start Grants replace and expand on the UK Government’s Sure Start Maternity Grant by providing eligible families with £600 on the birth of their first child and £300 on the birth of any subsequent children.
Ms McAlpine said:
“I am delighted that families in Dumfries and Galloway will be eligible for their first payments of the Best Start Grant in time for Christmas. These new payments will ensure that our under 5’s get the best possible start in life.
“It’s vital that the SNP government can provide help at a time when families in Dumfries and Galloway are seeing UK government social security support drastically reduced, and Universal Credit is causing hardship across Scotland.
“By reversing and mitigating the Tory cuts that have been so damaging to families in Dumfries and Galloway, and ensuring that we support those on the lowest incomes, the SNP continues to show its commitment to building a social security system that is based on dignity and respect.
