Hertfordshire County Council reacts to Budget announcement to end the Carer’s Allowance cliff edge

In her role as Executive Member for Adult Care Services at Hertfordshire County Council, Cllr Sally Symington wrote to the Government in August to implore them to reform the cliff edge in the Carer’s Allowance to ensure that carers would not lose their entire allowance for earning as little as a penny over the Weekly Earnings Limit.

In a response from the Department of Work and Pensions, the Government highlighted their intentions to reform the Carer’s Allowance which was announced publicly during this week’s Budget.

However, Hertfordshire County Council is concerned that the changes will not be implemented soon enough, and that carers who have already been unjustly saddled with costly repayments will still have to repay them.

Cllr Sally Symington, Executive Member for Adult Care Services at Hertfordshire County Council said:

“While we know the end to the Carer’s Allowance cliff edge will be welcome news for Hertfordshire’s unpaid carers, we are disappointed that this decision is not expected to be implemented until 2030. Carers who are struggling with rising costs or who have faced overpayments need support now, not in several years' time.

“What’s more, we echo our previous calls to urge the Government to write off Carer's Allowance overpayments incurred by carers through no fault of their own, and give those who are the backbone of our care system a clean sheet.

"With pressures on Adult Social Care budgets from the Fair Funding Review, supporting unpaid carers is more important than ever. We will be writing to the Government to share our concerns that this week's announcement does not go far enough to protect unpaid carers."

Hertfordshire County Council is committed to supporting unpaid carers. Find out more about the support available to carers: www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/carers