1 DWP benefit set to go up by £2,340 a year

A Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) benefit will see an increase of £2,340, even amid £6 billion in spending cuts announced by the Government. The DWP has confirmed that the Carer's Allowance earnings threshold will be raised by £45 a week to £196 from April.

This increased threshold means you can earn an additional £2,340 per year before losing eligibility to claim Carer's Allowance. These changes will allow full-time unpaid carers, who provide at least 35 hours of care a week, to earn up to £196 a week from next April without sacrificing their carer's allowance benefit, currently standing at £81.90 a week.

Campaigners and carers have welcomed this move, stating it would make "a massive difference" in helping them maintain a foothold in the job market. A cleaner on a zero-hours contract at a Wetherspoon's pub in Stockport, Greater Manchester, expressed that the opportunity to earn an extra £45 a week without penalty would "make a massive difference" to unpaid carers.

She said: "It will be a huge help although very few carers can actually earn that amount because they don't have the time [due to their caring responsibilities]. But it certainly takes the pressure off."

Helen Walker, the chief executive at Carers UK, commented: "This is a vital poverty prevention measure helping many carers, particularly women, stay in the labour market ... It will help to put much needed cash into the pockets of working carers who do so much to look after their disabled, ill and older relatives."

Liz Kendall expressed to the Guardian her concerns, saying: "Like many people, I have read distressing accounts in this newspaper from carers who have had to pay back large sums of overpaid carer's allowance. Carers have felt shock, frustration and anxiety as a result. Families are often pushed to breaking point just for looking after the people they love. They deserve to be recognised, supported and valued for all they do."

She expressed determination to be 'open and transparent' about the benefit, reports Birmingham Live. She said: "I am determined to be open and transparent about what has happened in carer's allowance and to learn all the lessons. This review marks a big step forward for unpaid carers, shedding light on this issue so we can put things right."

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