AROUND half of working people in Scotland, including many in East Renfrewshire, run out of money before payday, a study suggests.

Research carried out for Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) by YouGov indicates that 477 out of 983 workers (in an online survey of 2,078 adults) had experienced running out of money before being paid.

Of those, 25 per cent had missed making their council tax payment at least once. And eight per cent said they had missed it more than six times.

The study, carried out between March 12 and March 23 this year, was published as CAS encourages people to check their eligibility for a council tax reduction.

Figures published by the Scottish Government in June suggested that there are 7,110 fewer households claiming the reduction compared to March 2018.

Myles Fitt, the charity’s financial health spokesman, said: “The Citizens Advice network helps and advocates hundreds of thousands of Scots each year and we frequently see cases around council tax debt and people struggling with the cost of living.

“This further research suggests people who are struggling to make it to pay day will miss a council tax payment as a result. This creates a vicious circle, with our advisers having to help thousands of people with council tax debt.

“Yet some people could be benefitting from not having to pay full council tax if they qualify for a reduction and this will help to manage their council tax bills.

“Recent evidence shows there is a strong lack of public awareness around eligibility for the council tax reduction scheme, which can be worth on average £700 per year. We want to put money back in people’s pockets.”

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