COSLA Survey of Local Authority NRPF Support

As co-owners of the Ending Destitution Together Strategy, COSLA and Scottish Local Government are committed to supporting people across Scotland who are at increased risk of destitution due to No Recourse to Public Funds conditions. This commitment involves supporting households across Scotland, wherever possible, to avoid destitution and hardship.

Action 4 of the Ending Destitution Together Strategy commits partners to strengthening the provision of financial assistance and wider local authority support to destitute families with children and vulnerable adults.

In 2022 COSLA’s Community Wellbeing Board agreed to the introduction of an annual survey of local authorities to build an evidence base on these issues. This data aids understanding of the scope and scale of support needs from NRPF households in Scotland, and the unfunded costs of supports which are delivered as part of statutory safeguarding duties. Further information on the support and assistance local authorities are required to provide can be found here.

Information provided in this release provides high level aggregate data returned by Scottish local authorities across four reporting periods, tracking activity between 2020-2024.

This survey was produced in partnership with the Centre for Migration, Policy, and Society (COMPAS) at the University of Oxford. Data cited here (2020/21 and 2021/22) is incorporated into national research on NRPF provision across the UK.

Note on interpretation of evidence 

The data provided in this release is viewed as an under reporting of NRPF destitution. As a result, data is presented on an at least basis. We anticipate that actual figures will be much higher and continue work with local authorities on the continual improvement of reporting of this data. 

2023/2024 Summary (Published February 2025) 

Now in the fourth reporting year, the data provided by Scottish local authorities demonstrates a year-on-year increase across both the referral and support provided to destitute NRPF households. 

• Between 2020/201 and 2023/24 there has been a 197% increase in referrals (from 908 to 1791 cases). In 2023/24, referrals increased by 13%. 

• Between 2020/21 and 2023/24 there was a 323% increase in supported cases (578 to 1868). In 2023/24, the number of destitute households supported increased by 24%. 

• Across all reporting years, referrals and cases supported primarily related to households seeking support under the Children (Scotland) Act. In 2023/24, 84% of all cases referred and supported were under Children (Scotland) Act provisions. Consistently high referrals under these provisions demonstrates the direct impact the NRPF condition has on child poverty rates in Scotland as a direct result of restricted eligibility for general social welfare provisions.  

• Data on the demographic profile of NRPF households (Table 3) reflects the changing profile of households experiencing destitution. These changes can be linked to broader policy changes – in 2023/24 EEA national referrals fell to 23%, following a peak in 2022/23 whereby EEA cases comprised 46% of all referrals. Additionally, the number of asylum applicants referred increased 10% on the previous year, now comprising up a quarter of all referrals. This reflects an asylum and appeals backlog that remained high throughout 2023/24.

• Reported spending relating to NRPF destitution fell by £1.9m (Table 4) from £8.3m to £6.4m. This reduction contradicts anecdotal evidence provided by council officials who continue to highlight the increasing complexity of cases and prolonged waits for Home Office decision making as increasing support costs. We anticipate that the reduction in reported spending is from a reduction in data returns on this indicator, rather than a decrease in direct costs as the number of cases referred and supported continues to rise. In response, COSLA officials have secured political commitment from our member councils to work closely throughout 2024/25 to improve reporting of NRPF data across all councils. 

• Evidence on reported spend also shows the changing nature of costs, with increased spending on subsistence payments and staffing resources to support households. These changes show the increasing demand for subsistence payments to mitigate destitution and increased staff resources to respond to complex case work arising from increasing application of the NRPF condition across a range of visa schemes. 

2023/24 Data Update (Published February 2025) 

2022/2023 Summary

Now in the third reporting period, the data provided by Scottish LA’s demonstrates a year-on-year increase across both referrals and cases supported.

• Between 2020/21 and 2022/23 there was a 174% increase in referrals (from 908 to 1583 cases).
• Between 2020/21 and 2022/23 there was a 260% increase in supported cases (578 to 1503).
• Across all reporting years, referrals and cases supported primarily related to households seeking support under the Children Scotland Act. In 2022/23 approx. 72% of all cases referred and supported were under Children Scotland Act provisions.
• Changes in the type of immigration referrals (Table 3) indicate a significant increase in the number of European Economic Area (EEA) nationals with NRPF in 2022/23, reflecting broader policy changes following the UK’s departure from Europe. One large urban authority indicated that EEA cases now make up over half of all supported NRPF households.
• Reported spending relating to NRPF households rose by £2.4m (Table 4) from at least £5.9m in 2021/22 to at least £8.3m in 2022/23. These costs are currently unfunded and represent significant expenditure to local government budgets.
• The type of costs incurred changed between reporting periods. In 2021/22, accommodation comprised 86% of reported spend for the year, likely reflecting steps taken under Public Health legislation. In 2022/23 reported spend on housing fell to 57% of total spend whilst staffing increased to 18.4% of total spend, and costs across subsistence, legal and other spend categories also increased.

2022/23 Data Update