A SCOTTISH Labour-led council has unveiled a £5 million support package to help local people with the cost-of-living crisis, which would see residential care charges scrapped.
Councillors in West Dunbartonshire, where the party achieved an outright majority at last month's local elections, will be asked to approve the multimillion-pound fund to help struggling residents with rising energy prices.
A £250,000 household energy fund would be introduced under the plans to help residents tackle the issue.
And non-residential social care charges would be scrapped, saving around £1 million for vulnerable people in the area.
Further cost-of-living support proposals include funding additional staff for welfare advice and business support to help residents budget through the crisis.
Families will also be supported during the school holidays with £1 million set to be allocated to enable free access to activities for children.
The plans also aim to deliver a £1 million help for carers package, including respite, to support unpaid carers, kinship carers and foster carers.
Another £1 million funding injection would help community groups and voluntary organisations continue, the party have said.
Deputy leader Jackie Baillie said: “Like people across Scotland, the people of West Dunbartonshire are facing a cost-of-living crisis.
“That’s why the new Labour administration is prepared to take immediate and proportionate action to protect the people of the area and strengthen services.
“From tackling poverty to investing in services, ending non-residential care charging and putting money back into people’s pockets, this Labour administration is stepping up for the people of West Dunbartonshire."
It comes after Scottish Labour repeatedly attacked the Scottish Government for effectively cutting local government budgets at the latest spending review by keeping funding flat for the next three years.
The party’s leader Anas Sarwar has accused Scottish ministers of “cutting services” and “howling out our communities” through its approach to council cash.
“Because councils have an immense potential to improve our lives, but they have been continually undermined and underfunded by the SNP,” he said in April this year, weeks before the council election.
“They don't just pass on Tory cuts from Westminster, they multiply them and force councils to make impossible choices."
Despite these concerns, the West Dunbartonshire councillors – part of the only majority Labour council in Scotland – were able to bring in their £5 million package.
