| A Leeds MP has signed up to a national
campaign aimed at making sure carers are aware of their rights and entitlements.
John Battle (Lab, Leeds West) backed Carers Rights Day on 8 December as a chance
to increase the take-up of benefits and raise awareness of carers’ rights
and the support they might be able to get.
He said: “It is vital that carers claim the benefits to which they are
entitled. Carers Rights Day is a great opportunity to make people aware of what
is available. We know that £740 million worth of carers’ benefits
go unclaimed each year and this could be providing vital income as well as protecting
carers’ pensions in retirement. Carers may also be missing out on practical
support and advice.”
Mr Battle has recently called on the Government to do more to help growing numbers
of carers. As reported in theYorkshire Evening Post in October, he used
a speech to local organisation Carers Leeds to urge ministers to increase the
benefits available to carers and offer tax breaks and greater opportunities to
remain in work.
Mr Battle added: “It’s a real concern that carers in Leeds may not
be getting all the help they are entitled to. Carers need support – they
are fulfilling a vital role in society and without them the NHS and the social
care system would not be able to cope. It is vital that they are given information
about their rights so that they get the support they need and do not live in
poverty, risking their own health and future prospects.”
There are over six million carers in the UK who provide essential support to
family, friends and neighbours, saving the country an estimated £57 billion
pounds each year. People providing high levels of care are twice as likely to
be permanently sick or disabled than non-carers and many carers struggle to combine
caring with paid work.
©John Battle MP 7th December 2006 |