Carers UK response to the Government's 'Pathways to Work' Green Paper

On 18 March, the Government published its 'Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working' Green Paper, which sets out the Government's plans to reform disability benefits.

Two people with a calculator and paperwork

From Carers UK

We are very concerned by the proposed cuts to disability benefits and the impact this will have on carers, disabled people and their families.

We are particularly concerned about the following:

  1. Proposed changes to Personal Independence Payments (PIP) which are likely to affect carers’ entitlement to Carer’s Allowance (CA) – currently, over half of Carer’s Allowance awards are tied to PIP as it is a gateway benefit for claiming CA.
  2. Many carers have health conditions or disabilities themselves and could lose both PIP and CA as a result of the proposed changes.
  3. The financial impact of tightening eligibility to essential disability benefits, including PIP, could mean even more carers will struggle to afford essentials like food and heating.
  4. New claimants for the Universal Credit (UC) health element will receive less financial support relative to existing claimants. This would affect the household income of carers and their families who apply for the benefit for the first time after April 2026, where the carer is living with the person they care for.
  5. The reduction of the UC health element by £47 a week will also have a very severe impact on claimants.

We understand that many carers will rightly be very concerned about the Government's proposals and the impact they will have on them and those they care for.

It is important to note that the Government has confirmed there will be no immediate changes to Personal Independence Payment (PIP). If someone is getting PIP now and could be affected by the changes the Government is planning to make to eligibility, the changes will apply at award reviews which take place after November 2026.

We will be responding in full to the Government's consultation on the proposals and encourage you to do so too. We will be engaging with carers and will also be organising a webinar for affiliate organisations shortly to talk through the changes in detail. Please find details about the Consultation, which will close on 30 June 2025, here.

If you have any questions regarding the Green Paper, please get in touch with us at policy@carersuk.org

14:36, 31 Mar 2025 by Jo Maye