Festive opening hours

We will close for the public holidays on Tuesday 24 December 2024 at 2.30pm, and remain closed for the public holidays between Christmas and New Year. 

However, we will open on 27, 30, and 31 December 2024 between 10am – 12pm and 2pm – 4pm. During these times, we will prioritise reviews of crisis grant applications. If you wish to request a review of a community care grant application, you can do so online. Alternatively, you can call us on 3 January 2025, and we will assist you over the phone.

Our normal service will resume on 3 January 2025 at 10am.

About our service

We independently review council’s decisions about Scottish Welfare Fund applications under the Welfare Funds (Scotland) Act 2015.

If you have asked the council for a Crisis Grant or a Community Care Grant or a Self-Isolation Support Grant and are unhappy with their decision you can request an independent review.

Please note: You can only do this after you have asked the council to carry out a first tier review of their decision and received a response.  If you have not yet done this, you can find contact details for your local council on the Scottish Government website.  

We are not part of the council and our service is free.

We can decide:

  • to change part or all of the council’s decision;
  • to tell the council to make a new decision, or;
  • not to change the council’s decision in any way.

We won’t reduce or take away any award the council has given you.

How we look at reviews

Find out more about how to ask us for an independent review of your Crisis Grant or Community Care Grant or Self-Isolation Support Grant what happens to your request in our office and how we reach a decision.

>> How we look at reviews


Updated: January 26, 2024