DWP Faces Pressure to Increase Carer's Allowance by £160 Monthly
The Department for Work and Pensions is under growing pressure to reform a key benefit as it reaches its 50th anniversary this weekend. Carer's Allowance, currently paid at just £86.45 per week, is at the centre of calls for a significant shake-up to better support unpaid carers across the country.
Historical Context and Current Challenges
Introduced in 1976 as the invalid care allowance at a rate of £7.90 weekly, Carer's Allowance now supports 1.3 million people monthly, making it the seventh most-claimed benefit in the UK. However, new research by Carers UK reveals that if the benefit had kept pace with earnings growth over the decades, carers would receive an additional £160.46 monthly on average.
Disturbing statistics show that 62% of those receiving Carer's Allowance live in poverty, highlighting the urgent need for reform. The Guardian recently reported on a carer working 133 hours weekly, effectively earning just 65p per hour from the DWP benefit, underscoring the financial strain faced by many in this vital role.
Calls for Comprehensive Review
Author Frances Ryan told The Guardian: "The recent carer's allowance scandal – which saw thousands of carers falsely accused of fraud – sums up, at its extreme, the neglect or outright disdain the state shows those it should be supporting."
To mark the benefit's 50th anniversary, Carers UK is leading calls for a thorough review of Carer's Allowance and related benefits. The charity, originally known as the National Council for the Single Woman and Her Dependents when it campaigned for the allowance's establishment, emphasizes that society and the economy have transformed dramatically over the past five decades.
Coalition Demands Action
Members of the Carer Poverty Coalition, spearheaded by Carers UK, have sent a formal letter to the Secretary of State requesting a review. This examination would focus on how caring intersects with employment, financial security, and social security systems to ensure proper valuation and support for all unpaid carers.
The coalition argues that the current benefit structure fails to reflect modern living costs and the essential contribution carers make to society. With Carer's Allowance celebrating its half-century milestone, advocates insist that now is the time for meaningful reform to address the growing crisis in carer support and poverty.
