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

Carer’s Allowance overpayment debts have surged by 71% in recent years, unfairly burdening unpaid carers due to a flawed and confusing benefits system.
These overpayments have had a devastating impact on thousands of unpaid carers, saddling many with crippling debts, with many experiencing financial hardship, anxiety and ill-health as a result.

While the Government launched an independent review last October, we are deeply concerned new overpayment debts continue to be issued. DWP official figures show that the total number of outstanding overpayments increased by over 9,000 between May 2024 and February 2025, to a staggering 143,922.

This scandal needs to stop. That’s why we’re calling for Carer’s Allowance overpayments to be halted until the Government fixes the flaws in an unfair benefits system.

We need your help to raise awareness of this crucial campaign:
🖊️ Write to your MP.
📢Share the campaign on social media and encourage family and friends to get involved.
🗨️Tell Carers UK about your experience of overpayments here.
🔍Find out more on Carers UK’s website and read their report detailing carers’ experiences of overpayments.
Thank you for your support!

Kingston Council want to learn more about your experience of the safeguarding service in the borough and have asked Healthwatch Kingston to collect independent feedback. Share your thoughts about what worked well, what could be improved, and whether you felt listened to.

Your feedback will remain confidential and will be used to improve safeguarding services for the future.

Have your say and help make safeguarding more personal: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/YHJQBZQ 

If you have any questions, or would like help accessing or completing the survey contact Scott Bacon:

By telephone on 07421 071820 or by emailing scott@healthwatchkingston.org.uk

Kingston Council works closely with Kingston Carer’s Network to organise the Kingston Carers Board. This Board is helping to deliver The Kingston All Age Carers Strategy, and brings together organisations that offer information and support services to unpaid carers in the borough. The Carers Board are always keen to hear from as many carers as possible.

Work with us to help design social care services for you and people you care about. Get involved and have your say by joining the Carers Board. We value the insights of people with lived experience, and we recognise them as ‘experts by experience’. An expert by experience is someone who has personal experience using health and social care services, including family members and carers. We want to partner with experts by experience to co-produce our services. Co-production means working together equally to design services and make decisions that work for everyone. It's based on the principle that people who use a service are best placed to help design it.

The next meeting is on Tuesday 20th May (1-3pm). This is an opportunity to get to know the Board and find out about what we're working on. The meeting will be in person in Kingston and carer's travel expenses can reimbursed. 

If you would like to join the Board or to find out more please email: adultscommissioning@kingtson.gov.uk or call 020 8547 5000. 

Let's work together to make a positive difference.