Ministers urged to overhaul and raise carer’s allowance

Resolution Foundation says unpaid carers on low incomes pay very heavy price' for looking after loved ones

The carer's allowance benefit should be overhauled and the basic rate of payment increased to lift more unpaid carers and disabled people out of financial hardship, according to a living standards thinktank.

The Resolution Foundation said unpaid carers on low incomes were paying a very heavy price" - a typical penalty of 10% or as much as 7,000 a year compared with non-carers - for looking after loved ones full-time.