Dear name of MP,
I am writing to you because I am concerned about the future of Attendance Allowance – the payment to support older people with significant disabilities – and the impact any changes to Attendance Allowance might have on the ability of future unpaid carers to claim Carer’s Allowance.
Attendance Allowance is a benefit that helps severely disabled older people meet the extra costs of being disabled or having a long term illness. It is paid to people who can show they need frequent help with personal care or continual supervision. Recipients of Attendance Allowance can spend iton the things they need to help them maintain their independence and stay in their own home and community. This can include purchasing extra help around the home, for example with cleaning or maintenance, specialist food and personal care products or travel costs.
Attendance Allowance also acts as a ‘gateway’ benefit - allowing carers to claim Carer’s Allowance if they provide care for overcare for 35 hours a week and meet the other qualifying criteria such as limits on earnings. Carer’s Allowance is the main benefit for carers and provides an essential income as well as important recognition of the enormous contribution carers make to society.
The Government is currently consulting on whether it should transfer responsibility for Attendance Allowance from the Department of Work and Pensions to individual local authorities in England as part of plans to allow local authorities to retain 100% of business rates.The Government has said that those currently receiving Attendance Allowance and Carer’s Allowance wouldn’t be affected by any of these changes.
I am very worried aboutmoving from a centrally administered national entitlement that is able to meet the growing demand of an ageing population. Moving Attendance Allowance into local government budgets could mean that local authorities are unable to meet the costs of growing demands resulting in Attendance Allowance being rationed or absorbed into already stretched social care budgets. This could result in a postcode lottery of support, with local authorities putting in place different eligibility levels for Attendance Allowance.
The Local Government Association itself has warned that ‘councils do not want responsibility for administering the Attendance Allowance benefit for older people’ which would lead to ‘significant cost pressures’.
The loss of national entitlement for a disability benefit is something that is unprecedented in the history of our social security system.
Such fundamental changes to Attendance Allowance will have a direct impact on carers. Any reduction in a person’s ability to claim Attendance Allowance would have a knock on impact on those that support them, reducing their ability to pay for care and making it more difficult for them to access the basic financial support that Carer’s Allowance provides.
If carers are increasingly unable to claim Carers’ Allowance they may be unable to continue their caring role, or even consider taking on a caring role in the first place. This not only restricts choice for families but places significant pressure on the NHS and local authority social care services who would have to step in to provide care.
Though not perfect, the present delivery of Attendance Allowance and linked Carer’s Allowance claims is comparatively quick and efficient for those who need it. I feel strongly that the Government should retain the current system.
I would be grateful to know your position on these potential changes. I would also be grateful if you would raise my concerns with the Secretary of State at the Department of Communities and Local Government.
PS. Carers UK has produced a more detailed briefing about their concerns available at