Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s budget ignored carers, say campaigners.
Charity Carers UK says it was “disappointed” that carers did not get any “targeted” help from Hunt.
Helen Walker, head of Carers UK, said the chancellor’s budget largely ignored carers
Among other measures, the chancellor focused his efforts on getting the parents of young children back into the workforce.
The UK Government will fund up to 30 hours per week of free childcare for families with children aged over nine months from September 2025.
‘No targeted support’ for 1.1 million
Helen Walker is the chief executive of Carers UK.
She said: “In a budget focused on supporting the economically inactive to return to work, we are surprised that there was no targeted support for the 1.1 million carers who are currently economically inactive.”
Hunt also announced £63m for programmes to encourage retirees over 50 back to work. This funding will be through ‘returnerships’ and skills boot camps.
Walker said this support “could be useful to carers looking to return to work”.
Caring responsibilities ‘unrecognised’
Baroness Kay Andrews chairs the House of Lords Adult Social Care Committee.
She said the caring responsibilities of adults “looking after families at home” had gone “unrecognised”.
Andrews said it was unfair to expect working-age families “to step up and give up everything else that might make their own lives and themselves, as carers, more resilient and more supported”.
Budget failed to ‘go far enough’
The Government also announced it was extending support for people’s energy bills until the end of June and a fuel duty freeze for another 12 months.
But Walker said the moves “do not go far enough to support hard-pressed carers during the cost-of-living crisis”.
Autism Eye asked the Treasury to comment, but it did not respond.
Related:
- Carers need living wage, mum tells Lords
- Cost of living worsens carers’ plight
- Survey reveals plight of unpaid carers
- Mum battles to raise carers’ benefit
- Charity claims carers don’t want wage
- Plea to give carers the breaks they need
- Carers’ plight on World Autism Day
- Parent carers in line for a better deal
- Carers sick with money worries
Published: 18 March 2023
