Highland Council wants to raise 'totally inadequate' £69.70 Carers Allowance
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Highland Council will write to the Scottish and UK governments in a bid to help desperate carers who the local authority says cannot get by on the “totally inadequate” £69.70 Carers Allowance.
Members unanimously agreed to a motion proposed by Liberal Democrat councillors calling for a raft of measures to support Highland carers amid the most severe cost-of-living crisis in a generation.
The move will see chief executive Donna Manson write to the Chancellor Jeremy Hunt requesting an increase in the Carer’s Allowance and other benefits so they rise in line with current inflation predictions.
She will also write to the Scottish and UK governments requesting an immediate extension of the Warm Home Discount scheme to ensure that it includes carers on the lowest incomes.
And to lobby the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (Cosla) to create a campaign to see a rise in the earnings limit for those claiming Carers Allowance so that it is at least equal to 16 hours work at the National Living Wage.
Additionally, ensuring that Highland Carers are made aware of Carers Rights Day and the existing support that is available including improving the information available through the council’s own website and other resources.
Carers across the country face many challenges made far worse by the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis, unable to get into employment due to caring for someone and also unable to take a break since before Covid, leaving many exhausted.
The pressures on young carers can negatively impact on their education, having a lasting effect on their life chances while demands on their time mean that many are unaware of financial and service support available.
A Carers UK survey found that 43 per cent of carers felt that a rise in the allowance would help them, given the financial pressures they are facing, something illustrated by how many rely on food banks.
Cllr Ron Gunn, who brought the issue to council along with fellow Lib Dem councillors Alasdair Christie, Richard Gale, Angela MacLean, David Gregg and Trish Robertson, said: "It should publicly be recognised the importance of the work our care workers do. They are overworked, underpaid, and often taken for granted. We saw how important their work was during the Covid-19 outbreak. They are burnt out and need respite.”
