A PARTNERSHIP led by North Ayrshire Council is set to receive £3million of funding to help some of the region’s most disadvantaged people.

At a meeting of Cabinet, elected members heard how the council had been successful in their bid to receive funds as part of the Big LotteryFund/European Social Funds Financial Inclusion programme.

And the money will be used to help groups and people – including the unemployed, lone parents and low-income households – and to tackle some of the issues they face on a daily basis.

The Big Lottery first announced the financial inclusion funding programme in spring of 2015 and North Ayrshire was confirmed as one of the five local authority areas to receive a share of £17.3m of funding.

North Ayrshire Council developed a strong consortium bid involving a range of local Third sector partners, including the likes of ANCHO, Community Led Action and Support team (CLASP), North Ayrshire Citizens Advice Bureau, Cunninghame Housing Association, CHAP, Alliance Credit Union and CentreStage.

The consortium agreed on a partnership brand of Better off North Ayrshire and were successful after a tender process.

The service will support local residents to deal with issues including debt, fuel poverty, accessing affordable credit, accessing affordable products, lack of basic banking services, lack of money management skills, lack of IT/digital skills.

The initiatives being proposed include a Community Development Finance Initiative (CDFI) which will offer short-term loans at more reasonable rates than available commercially. There will also be an affordable furniture initiative.

Councillor Alex Gallagher, Cabinet Member for Economies, said: “This is fantastic and very welcome news.

“We are working with a range of partners, each with specific skills and knowledge, that will help us provide the very best possible services and help some of the most disadvantaged people across North Ayrshire.

“We are confident that we will deliver real and tangible results over the next three years and provide much-needed help for over 3000 people.”

Councillor Alan Hill, the SNP group’s shadow finances spokesperson, said “This is excellent news for North Ayrshire.

“When in administration, it was the SNP led cabinet that first moved to tender for such funding from the Big Lottery Fund in 2015, the aim of which was to try to raise additional income for some of our most deprived communities.

“I am truly delighted that our collective hard work has been so successful.”