DWP backlog sees thousands of unpaid carers face long wait for financial support; An FOI request has revealed 30,688 carers were awaiting a decision on support cash in mid-June compared to 17,453 people in early November 2020.
Byline: By, David Lynch PA & Mike Kelly
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.
Read more: Rishi Sunak reportedly considering more financial help for struggling families
Shadow work and pensions secretary Jon Ashworth said: "Long waiting times for essential benefits like carer's allowance are unacceptable in a cost-of-living crisis. This is another example of 'backlog Britain' presided over by the Conservatives.
"The Department for Work and Pensions needs to get a grip and ensure people who need it get the support they are entitled to, without delay."
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey, himself a carer for his son, said: "When people take on caring responsibilities, they should get the support they are entitled to without delay. It is completely unacceptable that the Government is forcing tens of thousands of carers to wait weeks to get carer's allowance.
"This is yet another example of how carers are too often an afterthought for Government ministers. That has to change."
Charity leaders warned that unpaid carers are "increasingly being plunged into poverty" as the allowance is not enough to cover all their costs, and called on ministers to make processing claims a priority.
The DWP provided the total number of carer's allowance claimants awaiting a decision for each month from May 2020 to June 2022, and the average clearance time for claim in working days for each month from November 2020 to June 2022.
The figures suggest there has been a growing backlog, with the number of people waiting for a decision standing at 15,411 on May 25 2020, rising to 30,688 on June 13 this year. The average processing time was 20 working days on November 2 2020 -- when such data was first available -- and 31 working days on June 13 this year.
Waiting times peaked...
To continue reading
Request your trial