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The PHA UK is backing a national campaign to address the financial hardship faced by many unpaid carers.

Ahead of the Budget 2021 on 3^rd March, the #FairerForCarers campaign, organised by Carers UK, is asking people across the country to contact their local MP and tell them carers urgently need more financial support.

Carer’s Allowance, the main benefit for carers, remains the lowest benefit of its kind at £67.25 per week. On 12th April, Carer’s Allowance is set to rise by just 35p a week, in line with inflation (CPI), taking the new rate to £67.60 a week – a maximum of 1p extra for each hour of care provided.

We agree with Carers UK that this is simply not good enough. We are backing their call to introduce a £20 a week supplement to people entitled to Carer’s Allowance - which would match the increases already awarded to those in receipt of Universal Credit.

Many carers have faced higher costs during lockdown, from increased food bills as cheaper alternatives are less available, to having to cover delivery fees and purchasing Personal Protective Equipment.

The government urgently needs to give back to carers; without this help, many will continue to face real financial hardship.

Carers UK have made it really easy to contact your MP about this issue by using this online form. It includes a template letter, so all you need to do is enter your name, postcode and email address.

If you’d like to contact your MP about this issue independently, you can find out who they are and how to contact them by clicking here.

Unpaid carers play a vital role in supporting people with pulmonary hypertension so we stand with Carers UK and call on the government to make things right. We have written to our constituency MP, Miriam Cates, to add our voice to the campaign. Please add yours too.

• If you receive a reply from your MP, please forward it to policy@carersuk.org so they can follow it up.