Media courtsey of BBC News
Here is the latest blog for the month of March. Did you know that on the 6th if March, the Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced the budget for spring 2024? As a carer, you might not think the budget is important. You might think numbers, figures and percentages are not worth paying attention to. As a carer you might not want to be bothered with political parties, but as a carer activist I feel we must hear the government and hold them to account on their policies.
I was fortunate enough to present my circumstances as a carer on the BBC news. I wanted to know how the budget would affect my caring role. BBC news also interview Holly Mackay who is the Founder and CEO of Boring Money, plus we had Joanne who also wanted to know how the budget affected her situation when trying to buy property.
Holly Mackay gave her thoughts on what she felt would be included in the spring budget. I also wondered how the Budget 2024 would affect my situation as a working carer. There was not a lot of expectation due to the downturn in the economy, but we all waiting with anticipation. Since I engage with carers through my carer groups, I asked how can carers prepare themselves if their situation became worse. Holly Mackay gave some excellent advice.
You can see the first part of the interview below.
After the budget was presented by the Chancellor Jeremy Hunt. Holly gave an excellent breakdown on how the budget will affect those who are vulnerable. I felt that the “Household Support Fund” being extend was great news for those struggling with energy bills, but many were stating it was a short term fix. I also was hoping for an increase in universal credit for both my brothers. Holly mentioned there will be an increase from £368.74 to £393.45 per month, which is good news.
Still, there was no mention of carers allowance in the budget, plus others would like a National Carers Strategy to transform Government’s approach to support unpaid carers. Holly mentioned there is some support for those who provide care and also work, but it might not be enough to make a big difference.
You can watch Part 2 of the interview in the video below.
Again, as a carer you might think the Budget 2024 is boring and not worth paying attention to. As a carer you might think the news on the government is not worth the time. As a carer you probably might think your MP is not interested about carers. I say that it is incredibly important to hold the government to account on the plight of carers. We are lucky to have a government system where we have the power to vote who we feel serves us best.
You can find out more about the budget in the link below
Carers Trust response to the Budget 2024
Carers UK response to the Budget 2024
Holly MacKay Boring Money website
Come election, I hope all carers do their bit to say who they want in power and also hold them to account.
Thanks for reading.
A Caring Mind 