New change to £299 Spring cost of living payment for millions of people due money next year

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has shared the proposed, new State Pension and benefits payment rates to come into effect from April 8, 2024. State Pensions will rise by 8.5 per cent, as per the Triple Lock policy, while most benefits will increase by the September Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation figure of 6.7 per cent.

New figures published by the UK Government show that at the end of March, the number of people making voluntary National Insurance (NI) contributions to top-up missing or incomplete years on their State Pension surged by 85 per cent over the 2022/23 financial year.

Perth ’s brand new church at Bertha Park will welcome Christmas ‘Christingle’-makers this Saturday afternoon.

The latest statistics from Social Security Scotland show that at the end of July, some 93,880 people were in receipt of Adult Disability Payment (ADP)and of those, 42,620 were new applicants and 51,260 were existing Personal Independence Payment (PIP) case transfers.

A 56-year-old man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for sexual offences against children in Livingston.

The Scottish Government has announced that funding for students is set to increase next year with the launch of a £2,400 support loan. From the start of the 2024-25 academic year, students will be able to apply for the loan to cover travel, childcare and other costs incurred by study.

Outlander star Sam Heughan will delight fans next weekend as he visits a Waterstones store in Glasgow city centre for signing of his new book 'Clanlands in New Zealand' which he wrote with co-star Graham McTavish.

The Scottish Government must not prolong the legal battle following a defeat over Holyrood’s gender reform laws, former SNP leadership candidate Kate Forbes has warned.

Thousands of older people living in Scotland are being urged to contact a dedicated national advice service to get help claiming Pension Credit from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). Advice Direct Scotland is urging pensioners across the country not to miss out on the £3,900 annual income boost and additional cost of living payments worth £599.

Openreach has announced that another 167,000 homes and businesses across Scotland are set to get access to full fibre broadband. The company is announcing a further £50 million investment across 25 new locations, including Bannockburn in Stirling, Lochgelly in Fife and Clydebank in West Dunbartonshire.

The latest figures from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) show there are now 12.6 million people across Great Britain receiving State Pension payments, including 1.1 million living abroad and 992,052 in Scotland. Of that overall total, some 9.7 million people are receiving Basic State Pension payments of up to £156.20 each week, while 2.9 million are on - or due to claim - the New State Pension, which is worth up to £203.85 each week.

Millions of people on disability benefits including Personal Independence Payment (PIP), Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and Attendance Allowance will see their payments rise by 6.7 per cent next April after the uprating was confirmed by Chancellor Jeremy Hunt during the recent Autumn Statement.

Ja Rule has announced details of UK and Ireland for 2024. Check out dates and ticket information below.The last headline show the seminal ’00s star had in the UK was 10 years ago when he, Fat Joe and Twista performed at the Indigo At The O2 in 2014.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has confirmed changes to payment dates for Child Benefit, Guardian’s Allowance and Tax Credits over the festive fortnight. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and Social Security Scotland have not announced any changes yet, but as in previous years, is expected to follow the same payment pattern as HMRC.

When Balamory was on CBBC screens from 2002 to 2005, it was a total hit with youngsters. But 18 years later, two of the show's well-known stars have now reunited for an upcoming project.

The Scottish Government will give another £2 million to address climate change loss and damage, the First Minister has announced.

The veteran British actress Brigit Forsyth has died aged 83, her agent has shared.

Coronation Street’s resident DJ Ryan Connor could be set to leave the cobbles behind in the coming weeks as he makes a life-changing decision. In recent weeks, Ryan Connor and Daisy Midgeley’s affair has started to be exposed, and next week Daisy’s fiancee, Daniel Osbourne, finds out what went on. However, Daniel decides to keep it to himself, saying that Daisy has chosen him and that he wants to forget about what happened.That mentality comes because Ryan had the chance to move to Scotland with his partner Crystal.

Actress Brigit Forsyth, who starred in Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads? has died at the age of 83, her agent Mark Pemberton has confirmed.The Scottish actress played battleaxe Thelma Ferris, the long suffering wife of Rodney Bewes’ character Bob, in the cult 70s BBC sitcom. Her agent confirmed she died “peacefully in her sleep surrounded by her family” in the early hours of Friday morning.

Thousands of unpaid carers across Scotland are set to receive a one-off payment for £270.50 next week. The Carer’s Allowance Supplement will be paid on Friday, December 8 and is only available to eligible claimants living in Scotland who were in receipt of Carer’s Allowance, delivered by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), on October 9, 2023.