SCOTTISH Labour has warned that households are at breaking point, as new figures show record rates of people north of the border repeatedly applying for crisis grants. 

New figures from the Scottish Welfare Fund show that repeat applications for its support are at their highest ever point, with more than three out of four applications now coming from people who have applied before.  

From April to June this year, 76 per cent of crisis grant applications were repeats. The proportion has risen sharply over the last year, from 64 per cent in the same period of 2020, and skyrocketed since 2013, when it was just 17 per cent. 

Across Scotland, there were 61,285 applications to the scheme, with more than 10,000 in Glasgow alone. 

The most recent figures show that a third of applications to the fund were rejected, with applicants facing a postcode lottery due to huge variation in approval rates between local authorities. 

Scottish Labour said that these figures highlight the need to move quickly to deliver a real minimum income guarantee.  

Scottish Labour social security and social justice spokesperson Pam Duncan-Glancy said: “More and more people are living in a state of constant crisis, relying on piecemeal grants to make ends meet. 

“Crisis grants are an important lifeline, but they aren’t a substitute for a real safety net.

“Things are only set to get worse as bills soar and the Tories’ shameful cut to universal credit hits.

“We need more than sticking plasters to tackle poverty in Scotland. The SNP must act urgently to deliver a real minimum income guarantee for every Scot.”

The Scottish government was approached for comment.