Millions of carers juggling a job with looking after sick relatives would be given greater legal protection and more money to help them get by under plans proposed by Liberal Democrat Ed Davey.
The party’s acting leader today sets out a five-point-plan for the nation’s carers as part of his ambition to take the job full time this summer.
The Kingston and Surbiton MP wants being a carer to become a ‘protected characteristic’ under the Equalities Act 2010, meaning discrimination against them at work would face the same punishment as racism, sexism and homophobia.
His intervention comes at the end of Carers Week, which seeks to highlight the struggle of 6.5million volunteers who look after a family member or friend who is elderly or has a disability, or a mental or physical illness.
Setting out his own times as a carer for his mother when he was a boy he also calls for them to be given more money in the form of an increase to the Carer’s Allowance and an increase in the threshold for halting payment.
He also wants young carers to be allowed to travel free on public transport.
Mr Davey, 54, and his brother cared for his terminally ill mother for three years before she died when he was 15. His father died when the future politician was just four. Mr Davey also has a 12-year-old son, John, who is disabled.
He said: ‘We desperately need a new deal for our carers. I believe we need to build a more caring society, and that starts by properly supporting our own carers.
The Kingston and Surbiton MP wants being a carer to become a ‘protected characteristic’ under the Equalities Act 2010, meaning discrimination against them would have the same legal footing as racism, sexism and homophobia
‘We ask so much of them, and then give them so little, and that has to change.
‘I was a carer to my mother when I was a teenager, and I am a parent to a disabled child now, so I understand more than most the struggles and challenges that carers face.
‘It is time that we did more to support them with those challenges, which is why I am setting out my five-point plan for carers today.
‘My plan would give them more money, more legal protection at work and give young carers the right to free travel. Together, this package would be a huge step forward for our carers community. It is time we started caring about our carers.’
Mr Davey’s five point plan is:
- Caring made a protected characteristic in the Equality Act, giving carers increased protection in the workplace and beyond
- Forcing employers to make ‘reasonable adjustments for carers’ as they would for disabled staff, to allow people to combine caring with a job.
- A boost to the Carers Allowance to £75 a week – a 12 per cent increase from the current level of £67.25
- Raising the amount a carer can earn before losing out on Carers Allowance from £128 a week to £160 a week, giving them greater work flexibility.
- Young carers would receive free travel on all public transport
Education spokeswoman Layla Moran is also standing to be the party’s new leader
Wera Hobhouse, the party’s environment spokeswoman, is also standing, although the ballot for the leadership election is yet to close
According to the charity Carers UK, half of working age carers live in a home where no-one has a paid job, with 1.2 million are living in poverty.
Earlier this week Mr Davey introduced a Bill in the House of Commons to give carers more rights to flexible working, helping them balance employment with caring responsibilities.
The Equality Act 2010 currently requires employers to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ for people with disabilities to help them work, which can include physical adjustments as well as adjustments like a more flexible approach to working.
The bill would extend that requirement to include carers who are looking after disabled people, allowing them to better balancing caring with their work.
Earlier this week, Helen Walker, chief executive of Carers UK, said some 2.8 million workers have started caring for loved ones during the pandemic.
‘Being able to work flexibly and have reasonable adjustments in place at work can make a world of difference for unpaid carers, helping them not only to stay in work, but also to reduce stress levels and improve their health,’ she said.
‘As we move out of the pandemic it is imperative that the Government and UK employers take action to support the increasing number of carers.’
Mr Davey has been acting Liberal Democrat leader since Jo Swinson lost her seat in December’s General Election, in which the party failed to make any gains, despite high hopes for a rebound after years of stagnation since the high point of the Coalition.
So far he is up against education spokeswoman Layla Moran and Wera Hobhouse, the party’s environment spokeswoman. The new leader will be chosen on August 27 after a leadership campaign that has been protracted because of the coronaviris pandemic.
At the start of the week Ms Moran made her own pitch to carers, calling for a new support package funded by reversing inheritance tax cuts.
It would include an £8.50 increase to the Carer’s Allowance in England and Wales to match recent changes in Scotland and an additional one-off cash bonus of £250 to cover hardship caused by coronavirus