Almost 100 carers organisations sign open letter to Work and Pensions Secretary calling for £20 weekly carer’s allowance supplement during coronavirus crisis

Letter also calls for earnings limit to be raised by £11 a week this year, to align with National Living Wage rates for 16 hours of work

Almost 100 carers organisations have signed an open letter to the Work and Pensions Secretary calling for a £20 weekly carer’s allowance supplement during the coronavirus crisis.

The open letter to Secretary of State Therese Coffey, from Carers UK and 91 other organisations representing unpaid carers, older people, disabled adults and children, calls for recognition of the financial impacts that COVID-19 is having on carers, highlighting that 81 per cent report they are having to spend more during the outbreak.

To alleviate the financial hardship caused during the pandemic, the open letter includes recommendations for -

• an additional carer’s allowance supplement to match the £20 weekly increase in universal credit, with similar increases in the carer premium and carer addition, and for this payment to be made to carers with an underlying entitlement to carer’s allowance;
• as a minimum, carer’s allowance and associated premia to be increased to a level that at least matches the effective rises seen in Scotland; and
• an increase in the earnings limit for claiming carer’s allowance from £128 a week to at least £139.52 for 2020/2021 - to align with the National Living Wage rate for 16 hours of work - and to increase the limit in line with increases in National Living Wage rates in future years.

Carers UK Chief Executive Helen Walker said today -

'The coronavirus pandemic has only exacerbated the ongoing financial struggle for unpaid carers, with 81 per cent facing rising costs during the crisis and many relying on a limited income to meet those costs.

Those receiving carer’s allowance are also providing many more hours of care - on average an additional 10 hours every week - without the hope of a break or outside support as services remain closed or reduced in capacity.

Unpaid carers remain essential in supporting our health and care systems and deserve better support. The government must acknowledge the additional practical and financial strain that has been placed on them over the last four months and make carer’s allowance Fairer for Carers.’

For more information, see 92 organisations call on Government to make Carer’s Allowance Fairer for Carers from caresuk.org