MP helps launch campaign to give £1,000-a-year boost for 1,290 carers in South Lakeland

On Carers Rights Day, South Lakes MP Tim Farron and the Liberal Democrats have launched a campaign calling on the Government to raise Carer's Allowance by £1,000 a year, to help support 1,290 unpaid carers in South Lakeland during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Liberal Democrat proposals centre around increasing Carer's Allowance from its current rate of £67.25 a week to £87.25, in line with the £20 a week uplift in Universal Credit announced at the start of the pandemic.

The latest government figures show that 731 unpaid carers in South Lakeland currently receive Carer's Allowance.

However, the Liberal Democrats are also calling for the 559 people who are entitled to Carer's Allowance but do not receive it due to overlapping benefits - mostly older carers on low incomes - to be given the extra £20 a week as well.

The party's leader, Ed Davey, who has promised to "be the voice of the 9 million carers in our country", has written to the Prime Minister urging him to recognise the "challenges that have been made even harder by coronavirus."

Tim said: "Unpaid carers are doing such a remarkable and important job in almost impossible circumstances.

"Our wonderful carers deserve our support, but they are too often forgotten or ignored.

"Put simply: we need to care for our carers."

Launching the campaign, Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said: ""Many carers are facing extreme financial hardship. They have been struggling for months, often relying on foodbanks to feed themselves and the people they care for.

"So Liberal Democrats are calling on the Government to support carers by raising Carer's Allowance by £1,000 a year, now."