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Main Content: Carers can't wait
Carers can't wait. That was the message coming loud and clear from a series of meetings attended by hundreds of the UK's carers in July 2008.
The events held in London, Birmingham and Manchester saw carers meet to discuss the National Strategy. The Government's recent National Strategy for Carers has promised a review into carers' benefits. The carers’ conclusions were overwhelming - Government needs to act now, many carers are in poverty and rising fuel and food costs are hitting them hard. Carers contribute £87 billion to the economy, they deserve better and they can't afford to wait.
The meetings came as the Government released the details of their taskforce recommendations. The taskforces were set up by Government to tell them what should be in the Strategy. The reports show that the income taskforce said Government must spend around £1.6 billion to implement immediate changes to benefits but Ministers rejected this in favour of another review.
Carer Preethi Manuel, speaking at the London event said, "There is ‘visionary’ language which speaks of “carers at the heart of 21st century families” - at least there is an aspiration that things will change for us. But the reality for carers like myself , who have given up so much of our lives just so that someone we love can have their life, is that we cannot wait. We have waited too long."