Tuesday May 26th 2026
Glasgow City Chambers
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Sarah Hilley
Families in poverty are to be contacted by the council offering them help with financial problems.
More than 100 families have already received letters in Drumchapel as part of efforts to support people as 13,117 families are in relative poverty in the city.
Glasgow City Council has gained access to DWP information to make contact with residents who are struggling as part of a data sharing agreement.
Helping people access benefits they are entitled to is among work being carried out to boost people’s incomes.
Referring to work taking place in Drumchapel, treasurer Ricky Bell said: “In early pilot activities over 100 families have been contacted by letter offering support. Strong initial uptake demonstrates demand and the potential scale of this programme.”
Speaking at the city administration committee, he added: “I can’t praise this scheme enough. It is a fantastic opportunity – and I’m delighted we got there with the Scottish Government and have the data sharing in place.”
As part of phase one, the council and partners are offering support to families in the city’s most deprived booster ward areas with initial activity prioritising those with children aged up to five. The areas include Govan, East Centre, Southside Central and Calton.
The Scottish Government has made £1 million available for the outreach programme with £650,000 going to Glasgow Helps for proactive outreach.
The other £350,000 will go to organisation GCVS to “support third sector partners to expand the range of services available to families” according to a council paper.
The report presented to last week’s committee said: “Scottish Government has responded positively to the council’s proactive outreach programme, recognising it as a strong example of prevention-focused, whole-family support delivered through the lens of Public Service Reform.”
Councillors sitting on the city administration committee approved the award of £350,000 to GCVS.
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