Launch of Inverness Common Good scheme of winter payments
The Highland Council’s City of Inverness Area Committee is today inviting applications for its winter payment scheme, which has been extended to ensure that low income people of all ages benefit from a contribution towards their fuel bills – not just pensioners.
The winter payment is a one-off £37.
It has also been agreed to offer a second one-off payment to those qualifying who may live in a home with poor insulation/heating.
This payment is £31.
The scheme is open to residents within the Wards of Aird and Loch Ness, Inverness West, Inverness Central, Inverness Ness-side, Inverness Millburn, Culloden and Ardersier and Inverness South.
To qualify, the applicant must be in receipt of either:
or be in receipt of one criteria from each of the following:
and there must be a resident in property entitled to one of the following:
In addition, applicants must be able to confirm that there are no residents in the household in receipt of a wage either now or in the last 6 months or with capital in excess of £6,000. Only one application per household will be accepted.
Application forms are available on the council’s website and from the Town House, Council HQ Reception, Local Service Points (Church Street and Hilton in Inverness Ardersier and Fort Augustus) as well as Libraries, Health and Social Care Offices, Citizens Advice Bureaux and Community Centres.
The deadline for return of application forms is Friday 4 January 2013.
They should be returned by post to The Highland Council, FREEPOST RRXJ-GGJX-CRYR (Winter Payment), Customer Income Maximisation team, P.O. Box 5650, Inverness, IV3 5NX or Inverness Service Point, 21/23 Church Street, Inverness, IV1 1DY Tel – 01463 703999 or City Manager, Town House, Inverness, IV1 1JJ Tel – 01463 724368. All payments will be sent by cheque.
City of Inverness Leader Councillor Ian Brown said: “The winter payments scheme is designed to benefit those members of our community who are most in need of financial support during the winter, when extra fuel is needed. We are pleased to have extended the scheme to involve people of all ages who are entitled to support with their winter fuel bills and to have increased the value of payments by 2.5% on last year.”