Glasgow residents are being urged to activate their Scotland Loves Local gift cards, with close to £4m already spent in the city.

The city council used the scheme to distribute £105 to low-income households to help with the cost of living crisis and aid businesses in their recovery from the Covid pandemic.

A total of 85,000 were sent out to those in receipt of a council tax reduction, and 80 per cent have been activated so far.

Glaswegians began receiving the cards three weeks ago and a total of £3.8m has already been spent.

Councillor Susan Aitken, leader of Glasgow City Council, said: “It is great to see that 80% of the Scotland Loves Local gift cards for Glasgow have now been activated – this means real support for businesses in the city and households facing the cost of living crisis.

“I encourage everyone who has received this card to activate it as soon as possible to help with their household expenditure, and for local businesses to register to allow them to benefit from this successful project.”

The cards can only be used within the Glasgow City Council area, with nearly 1,000 businesses accepting htem.

Figures reveal an average of £25 has been spent with each purchase, with the most frequent buys food and household items.

Funding has come from a £9.45m Covid package awarded by the Scottish Government, and it's hoped that around £8m will be injected into local businesses.

The gift card is an extension of the Scotland Loves Local campaign, the drive led by Scotland’s Towns Partnership’s (STP) for people to help their communities recover from the coronavirus pandemic by supporting local businesses.

STP Chief Officer Phil Prentice said: “The response to the Scotland Loves Local Glasgow Gift Card - and the immediate injection it’s provided the city’s economy - has been remarkable.

“As city residents and businesses are coping with the cost of living crisis at the same time as continuing to recover from the pandemic, the timing of this support has been crucial.

“The success of Glasgow City Council’s work shows the tremendous power of the gift card programme to be a force for good in our communities, delivering benefits for huge numbers of people in many different ways.”