Council Funded Advice services assist 22,000 customers, exceed £22.5 million in financial gains
22nd August 2019
In excess of 22,000 customers were assisted by the Council's Welfare Support Team and Citizens Advice during 2018/19 for support with welfare, debt and housing issues. 3,372 customers were helped by the Welfare Support Team and 18,777 clients were assisted by Citizens Advice.
Financial gains for customers exceeded £22.5 million, representing a £14.07 return for every £1 allocated in Advice and Information services by the Council.
A total of £11.2 million of debt (including £2.4m relating to mortgage/other secured loans) was presented to Citizens Advice which represents a 56% decrease compared to 2016/17 and Citizens Advice supported 2,625 customers (including social rented, private rented and home owners) seeking housing advice, highlighting the demand for consistent accessible support on these issues.
During the financial year 2018/19, 2,625 customers (including social rented, private rented and home owners) in Highland approached Citizens Advice requesting support primarily for housing advice for a variety of reasons including arrears, housing options, repairs, capital works and anti-social behaviour. This emphasises the level of demand in Highland for consistent accessible advice on these matters.
Furthermore, 2018/19 saw a 13% increase in demand for complex advice from customers accessing benefit and money advice services compared to 2017/18. In the past 3 years customer numbers have risen by 30% overall with Universal Credit and Personal Independent Payments continuing to present significant challenges for customers across Highland.
Cllr Margaret Davidson, Leader of the Council, said: "The Council's funding of advice continues to present value for money and makes a key contribution to the Council’s commitment to reduce poverty and inequalities for the people of the Highlands. The effectiveness of the services being delivered has positive impacts on customers’ overall health and wellbeing. It is also important to recognise the wider social and economic benefits that such services provide for the local economy.
"Advice and information (A&I) services are proven to be a critical approach in alleviating poverty and are vital to the health and wellbeing of many households across the Highlands, all with varying needs of support. The Council’s commitment to these services aligns with its legal duty to provide advice and information services for the general population and for specified groups."
During May 2019, End Child Poverty published 2017/18 child poverty rates detailing the percentage of children in poverty after housing costs. Highland has many of the expected causes and consequences of poverty associated with urban and rural settings. End Child Poverty reported that poverty in Highland is less prevalent amongst children living in the Black Isle, Inverness Millburn and Aird & Loch Ness. In contrast, child poverty is most acute in the Cromarty Firth, Wick and Inverness Central. This demonstrates the varying levels of poverty within both urban and rural settings where the geographical distances separating these communities can be only a few miles apart.
Within the context of reducing poverty and inequalities, the Council advocates an emphasis on early intervention and prevention work with the aim of preventing people reaching crisis point and as a consequence, requiring more significant support. As crisis-based interventions are the most resource intensive responses to customers’ circumstances, there is an ongoing focus on encouraging customer engagement at an early stage.
The Council’s Welfare Support team and Citizens Advice have also reported an increased need for their services from customers seeking advice and assistance with a variety of issues including benefit delays and errors and to challenge adverse benefit decisions especially in relation to Employment and Support allowance.
Households seeking support are encouraged to make early contact with the Council’s Welfare Support Team on 0800 090 1040 or local Citizens Advice.
Related Businesses
Related Articles
Wick Business Park has welcomed wind energy technology company ENERCON as the first occupant of one of four new units completed last year. ENERCON specialises in designing, producing, installing and servicing onshore wind turbines and has been operating in the Caithness area since 2013.
Additional empty homes officers are being recruited to bring more privately owned houses back into use. The new posts are being supported as part of a £2 million investment through the Scottish Empty Homes Partnership in 2025-26 which will see staff take a more proactive and targeted approach to tackling local housing issues.
The Highland Strategic Local Action Group (LAG) met in June 2025 and considered and agreed funding for 28 projects submitted to the Community-Led Local Development fund (CLLD), which makes up part of The Highland Council Community Regeneration Fund (CRF) programme. CRF is an umbrella term used to cover multiple external funding programmes administered by The Highland Council.
Highland Council has provided 12 ‘Talking Tub' resources for use in primary schools across the Highlands, in partnership with Union Technical who deliver community benefits as part of the Energy Efficient Scotland: Area Based Scheme programme. Chair of Highland Council's Education Committee, Councillor John Finlayson, said: "This is a fantastic initiative being rolled out across Highland primary schools which brings innovation and inspiration to early years children.
Visitors will find it easier to dispose of their litter at several popular spots across Highland after the rollout of additional bins. The rollout has been planned to support the tourism season as part of the Council's ongoing commitment to improve and support sustainable tourism in the area.
Members of the meeting of The Highland Council (26 June 2025) have considered and agreed the Accounts Commission's Best Value report, which was published in April 2025 and highlights organisational improvements across leadership, performance management and community engagement. In April’s report, the Accounts Commission recognised and welcomed significant progress within the organisation since the 2020 Best Value Assurance Report (BVAR) and commended the embedded culture of transformation.
A new generation of community facilities is being planned for the Highlands. At a meeting of The Highland Council (Thursday 26 June), elected members approved the work to date in progressing the Highland Investment Plan workstreams - masterplan for Thurso and agreed to nominate the current Thurso High School site as the preferred location for the new Thurso Community Point of Delivery (POD).
At a meeting of The Highland Council (Thursday 26 June 2025), Members received a progress report on the partnership approach and important successes since declaring a Highland Housing Challenge in November 2023. Since establishing the ambitious Highland Housing Challenge, important successes included: A call for sites delivered 250 sites, with a potential 25,000 housing units which will support delivery against the target of an additional 12,000 houses over the next 10 years.
The Highland Council will deliver a transformative programme of energy efficiency upgrades across Council housing supported by a £9.2 million Energy Company Obligation (ECO) funding proposal secured by Union Technical. The funding proposal will deliver approximately 1,000 individual energy efficiency measures to Council owned properties across the Highlands.
As part of the Highland Council's celebration of Refugee Week - 16 to 22 June - we are delighted to announce that a sharing of photographs, taken by separated young people seeking asylum living within the Highlands, is to be shown at Eden Court Arts Centre, Inverness. Look to See, which ties in with the theme for this year’s Refugee Week - Community as a Superpower - emerges out of a collaboration between multiple agencies working alongside separated young people seeking asylum, embodying the importance of community and connection, when looking to support all young people in the Highlands.