Tackling child poverty delivery plan 2022-2026 - annex 5: impact of policies on child poverty

Low Income Winter Heating Assistance (LIWHA)

The primary focus of this benefit is to provide financial support to those on low incomes who may need additional help with the cost of their domestic heating during the winter months.

• Income from employment

Enhanced life chances (e.g. health, wellbeing, capabilities, longer term goals)

Potential size of impact

Approximately 400,000 households will be eligible for a winter heating assistance payment (at the value of £50 annually).

Type of impact

A guaranteed payment will provide those who require increased heat in the winter with support towards the cost of their heating.

Certainty of impact

The policy is expected to have a positive, albeit small, impact on the households with children that meet the criteria for the qualifying benefits.

Priority families targeted by policy:

• Disabled
• Baby < 1

Eligibility for LIWHA will continue to be based on someone within the household being in receipt of reserved benefits. It is intended that the payment of LIWHA will be made to eligible households automatically. Take-up and promotion of reserved benefits are outwith the control of the Scottish Government. Households which do not apply for the support they are eligible to receive from the UK Government may not receive additional help from the Scottish Government.

Tracking progress

A monitoring and evaluation process for LIWHA will be in place prior to its launch. Once payments have commenced, on-going engagement with key stakeholders through a Stakeholder Reference Group will provide opportunities to monitor the impact of the policy.