Today marks the start of National Carers’ Week.  Cynically,  this the one week of the year when non-carers remember that unpaid family Carers exist and make encouraging noises.  Yet 96% of UK care is provided in the community by unpaid carers. 96%!!!! 1 of every 2 women in their 50s is an unpaid family carer, with all the impact this has on pay, career and occupational pension. Flip a coin, is it you or me? (Men do not achieve this statistic until age 74. *) Coincidentally, this week aspirant PM Boris Johnson has promised an extra £120pw for those earning £80k. As a tax break. Or bribe.

Guess what? From April, family  carers have been able to claim £67 Carers’ Allowance per week. IF they are under pensionable age and IF they earn less than £123pw.

O – and Carers Allowance is taxable.

Are these Tory values?

*Thus the value of collecting data by gender. Suffolk’s  Conservative administration, please note  https://suffolklibdems.org/carolinepage/2019/03/24/suffolk-county-council-votes-to-fail-women/  #just saying