Political Opinion with Alison Bennett MP: Celebrating Mid Sussex's Unsung Heroes at Haywards Heath Carers Day

I enjoyed joining local carers at Haywards Heath’s Town Council’s Carers Event recently. An unpaid carer is someone - including children - who looks after a family member, partner or friend when that person would not be able to cope without their support. There are many reasons why this might happen; at the Town Hall I met carers who support older relatives with dementia, children with autism, and spouses with chronic health conditions. Regardless of why someone ends up becoming an unpaid carer, it is certainly the case that everyone who came to the Carers Day deserved a big thank you for all that they do.

Haywards Heath Horticultural Society, Haywards Heath in Bloom and Glendale did a flower potting workshop, whilst Care UK organised a bottle painting session. Various beauty providers offered a selection of treatments and massages. Brilliant organisations like Carers Support - who I met in Parliament last month- as well as Mid Sussex Wellbeing, Haywards Heath Age UK, and Cuckfield Stroke Club were also in attendance. This provided carers with the opportunity to learn more about what services are available to support them.

These carers make an extraordinary contribution— according to Carers UK, the most recent Census 2021 found that there are 5.8 million unpaid carers in the UK. Research from the Centre for Care also found that the economic value of the work of unpaid carers in England and Wales is around £162 billion per year. Many carers give up their jobs or personal time to support loved ones, often without recognising themselves as carers. Their efforts keep people out of hospitals and save the public billions, yet too often they receive little support in return. These individuals fulfil these roles because they want to, out of love for the person that they look after. However, these families cannot survive on love alone.

Labour’s initial plans to cut disability benefits will have a knock-on impact on people who receive the Carers Allowance. The government estimates that 150,000 people will be impacted. At the time of writing, we don’t know exactly what plans they are bringing forward. Carers deserve so much more than having this vital support cut, and I am doing everything I can to get the government to think again.

Thank you to the team at Haywards Heath Town Council for inviting me to join in, and to all the wonderful carers who work so hard for their loved ones and our wider community.