A £1 million fuel support programme to help hard-pressed households in Glasgow has aommenced.

The Glasgow City Council Fuel Support Project aims to help eligible citizens in Glasgow gain access to a £49 fuel top-up payment, as well as energy advice and assistance.

Families with children at home and receiving Council Tax Reduction are eligible for the support, and they should contact Glasgow Helps on 0141 276 1185 if they require a referral for a fuel top-up or energy advice.

The grant is part of a wider package of support offered to citizens through the Glasgow Helps team who will support with fuel needs as well as any other needs identified. Glasgow Helps staff will carry out an eligibility check, and a grant of £49 will be awarded via a fuel voucher which will be administered on the families' behalf by HEAT (The Wise Group) directly with the energy provider.

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This funding was allocated as part of the City Budget agreed earlier this year and will now be distributed to some of the city's most financially challenged households following the appointment of a leading anti-poverty organisation - the Wise Group - as a partner in the scheme.

Councillor Ricky Bell, City Treasurer at Glasgow City Council, said: "We are in a cost of living crisis, and the council will do all that we can to support those hardest-hit by rises in fuel prices in these very challenging times. We recognise that is not an entire solution for households in the city, but it will provide some support and will be extended if more external funding is provided."

HEAT will allocate the grants on behalf of the council, and will work with Glasgow Helps, a new council service offering free and confidential support, information and advice to citizens, giving access to the right support at the right time and place.

The council will work with organisations in the city, including the Glasgow Council for the Voluntary Sector, to ensure city residents are aware of, and have potential access to, the funding.