New figures have revealed that unpaid carers are having to wait longer to hear whether they will be given financial support by the Government. Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) data also show that greater numbers of people have applied for carer’s allowance over the last two years.
People who spend more than 35 hours each week looking after someone with a disability or illness can make a claim for the £69.70-a-week payment.
A freedom of information request by the PA news agency revealed 30,688 carers were awaiting a decision in mid-June, when the average clearance time for a claim was 31 working days. This compared with 17,453 people awaiting a decision in early November 2020 when the average clearance time was 20 working days.
