Unpaid Carer organisations across Cumbria are backing the call by Money Expert Martin Lewis for a review of the Carer’s Allowance following his interview with Chancellor Jeremy Hunt.
In a Martin Lewis Money Show Live TV special the financial journalist called on Chancellor Jeremy Hunt to review Carer’s Allowance payments head of the Spring Budget on on March 6, following the recent cut to National Insurance, tax, mid-contract mobile and broadband price hikes and Lifetime ISAs.
Carer Support Cumbria is backing the call to make a greater commitment to unpaid Carers’ needs which they have been calling for.
Carer Support Carlisle and Eden CEO, Dr Dani Leslie said: “We are grateful to Martin Lewis for asking the Chancellor direction to act on this issue which we have been campaigning about alongside Carers UK for some time. We are also grateful to Martin for raising the issue again on primetime television.
“In Cumbria, more than 56,000 people are providing unpaid Care for family and friends. The stress and pressure of providing unpaid Care and working to pay the bills is a huge struggle for many people in Cumbria, not only financially but often emotionally too.
“A survey by the charity Carers UK shows one in six (16%) of unpaid Carers are now in debt as they try to manage their monthly costs.
“When caring for someone who is frail, turning down the heating is not an option and when caring for someone who has incontinence issues, not using the washing machine, dryer or launderette isn’t an option.
“Those receiving Carer’s Allowance – just £69.75 a week for people providing 35 hours or more of unpaid care each week – are worst affected.Two-in-five (40%) of Carers receiving Carer’s Allowance are in debt as they try to manage their costs.
“Unpaid Carers are providing round-the-clock care, at a time when there is a shortage of care services to help them, this is on top of having to live on low incomes.”
During the TV interview with Martin Lewis, the Chancellor said the Carer’s Allowance is never meant to be an income replacement, it’s meant to be support for people doing caring duties, but lots of people do caring duties for members of their family or people they know well.
The Chancellor added: “I don’t think it’s possible for the state to fully replace income but we have increased the Carers Allowance and we will continue to keep it under review.”
The Chancellor said that the rate of pay for a Carer’s Allowance and the £50,000 earnings threshold for a Carer’s Allowancewould be kept under review.
Carer’s Allowance is set to rise from £76.75 to £81.90 from April 8 as part of the annual benefits uprating. The earnings threshold will also increase from £139 to £151.
Helen Walker, chief executive of Carers UK, said: “Our social care system has received a chronic lack of attention, commitment and funding from the government for far too long and this is having devastating consequences for hundreds of thousands of unpaid carers and the people they support – not to mention the care sector and the wider economy. This must change in 2024 if we are serious about meeting the needs of people in our society.
“As we begin the new year, we ask this and any future government to recognise the enormous societal and economic value unpaid carers contribute and we call on them to return their investment. Ensuring carers have access to practical support, can prioritise their own health and wellbeing while caring, and remain financially resilient is crucial for the overall health of the country.”
Support and advice for unpaid Carers are available from local organisations, contactable through the Carer Support Cumbria website www.carerssupportcumbria.co.uk.
