An Advantage Of A Big Common Good Fund - Inverness Winter Payments Already Awarded To Over 1,000 Households

30th December 2024

Applications to the Inverness Winter Payments Scheme, which is fully funded by the Inverness Common Fund, have already been awarded to 1,035 eligible households within the 7 specified Inverness Wards.

Leader of Inverness Area, Councillor Ian Brown said: "Since the Scheme was opened to applications for this winter, already £114,885 has been awarded to people who live in the eligible Wards of Aird and Loch Ness, Inverness West, Inverness Central, Inverness Ness-side, Inverness Millburn, Culloden and Ardersier and Inverness South Wards. Each household has been awarded £111 financial support during winter when extra fuel is needed to keep homes warm."

He added: “The Inverness Winter Payments Scheme is designed to help people who are most in need. I encourage anyone who meets the eligibility criteria to apply before the deadline of 28 February 2025 and claim the one-off winter payment that they are entitled to. The scheme is aimed at anyone on low income of all ages and not just pensioners.”

Apply online here  www.highland.gov.uk/invernesswinterfuel

Residents of the 7 Inverness Wards are encouraged to apply for the one-off £111 winter payment, if any of the following applies to them: 

aged 90 or older on or before 28 February 2025 irrespective of savings; or
receive a Scottish Welfare Fund Crisis Grant Payment between 1 December 2024 and 28 February 2025;
receive Pension Credit (Guarantee Credit);
have a child/children under the age of five and you must be in receipt of Income Support; Income Based Jobseekers Allowance; Universal Credit; or Income Based Employment and Support Allowance;
in receipt of:
Pension Credit (Savings Credit);

Income Support;

Universal Credit;

Income-based Jobseekers Allowance;

Income-related Employment and Support Allowance;

Incapacity Benefit. 


The applicant must also have someone who lives in their household who is receiving: 

Attendance Allowance OR Pension Age Disability Payment;
Middle or high rate Disability Living Allowance/Child Disability Payment (care component);
War Widow's or War Widower’s pension;
Personal Independence payment (daily-living component);
Adult Disability Payment (daily-living component)
Armed Forces Independence payment.
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 previous calendar month or with capital in excess of £6,000. This does not apply if they will be aged 90 or over on or before 28 February 2025 or if they received a Scottish Welfare Fund Crisis Grant Payment between 1 December 2024 to 28 February 2025.  Only one application per household will be accepted.

Application forms for the Inverness Winter Payments Scheme 2024/25 are available:

from Inverness, Town House, Service Point;
by phoning the Council’s Welfare Support Team on 0800 090 1004;
by contacting local Citizens Advice Bureau; or
apply online here www.highland.gov.uk/invernesswinterfuel .

The deadline for return of application forms is 28 February 2025.

Application Forms should be returned by post to: 

The Highland Council, 
FREEPOST RRXJ-GGJX-CRYR, 
PO Box 5650, 
Inverness, IV3 5NX

The Inverness Winter Payments Scheme is fully funded by the Inverness Common Fund and is therefore only available to eligible people within the 7 specified Inverness Wards.

 

Related Businesses

 

Related Articles

Today : Local Authority

 
Wick and Thruso Jobs secured and bus services strengthened through D&E Coaches acquisition

Highland Council-owned D&E Coaches has confirmed the acquisition of Stagecoach’s Thurso and Wick bus operation securing local jobs.  This will protect vital services and strengthening public transport provision across the Highlands.  

30/9/2026 : Local Authority

Reforming Scotland’s Councils: Should We Test One Region Before Reorganising Them All?

Scotland is considering one of the biggest changes to local government for a generation.  The Scottish Government has proposed replacing the existing 32 councils with between six and ten regional authorities, alongside somewhere between 120 and 160 community authorities.  

30/9/2026 : Local Authority

Scottish Cities Alliance Investment Conference to showcase Highland opportunities

Inverness will welcome government representatives, investors, business leaders and economic development partners later this week as it hosts the Scottish Cities Alliance Autumn Investor Event.  A two-day programme designed to showcase investment opportunities across Inverness, the Highlands and Scotland's city regions.  

29/9/2026 : Local Authority

Are We Trying to Save Britain’s Towns Without Planning Their Future?

Walk through almost any British town centre and you can see the evidence of change.   There are empty shops where there were once businesses.  

28/9/2026 : Local Authority

Highland Council Ward 3 By-election - Voters urged to make sure their vote counts

Polling will take place on Thursday 1 October 2026 to elect one of five candidates standing in The Highland Council's Wick and East Caithness Ward 3 by-election.  Voters are being reminded to make sure they are ready to cast their vote.  

26/9/2026 : Advisory / Counseling Services

September is Scottish Start-Up Month – could your business idea become a reality?

September has become a month when Scotland's aspiring entrepreneurs are being encouraged to take a closer look at an idea that may have been sitting in the back of their minds for some time.   Scottish Start-Up Month, led by Business Gateway, has returned for 2026 with a simple message: if you have an idea for a business, this could be the month to take the first step.  

25/9/2026 : Educational Institutions

Fewer Children, More Difficult Decisions: The Future of Highland's Schools

For many years Highland Council has faced difficult decisions over small rural schools.   Some have closed, others have been mothballed, and communities have often argued that a village school is about much more than the number of children sitting in its classrooms.  

25/9/2026 : Local Authority

Glasgow’s 23,000 Council Workers Face a Major Pay Shake-Up

Glasgow City Council has taken a dramatic step in its long-running equal-pay dispute, giving notice that it intends to end existing pay arrangements for its non-teaching workforce unless an agreement can be reached with the trade unions.   Around 23,000 employees are affected.  

25/9/2026 : Employment Services

What Are the Options for Scottish Pupils Who Do Not Want the Traditional Academic Route?

Parents of teenagers in England are being told that they will need to understand a new range of vocational qualifications as their children approach the age of 14.   The Career Development Institute has welcomed the introduction of new Vocational GCSEs, which are due to start being introduced in England from 2029.  

24/9/2026 : Local Authority

The £27 Million Energy Bill Facing Highland Council – And NHS Highland's Hidden Cost

Rising energy prices are a problem for households and businesses, but there is another very large energy bill that receives much less attention.   Highland Council operates one of the largest public-sector property estates in Scotland, while NHS Highland runs hospitals, health centres, clinics and other facilities across an enormous geographical area.