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Money Box: Carers call for increase in allowance

27/02/2021

Carers call for increase in allowance

BBC Radio 4 - Money Box, Carers call for increase in allowance

Carer's allowance, waiting time woes continue for fraud victims and pension delays.

Calls for carer's allowance to get a bigger increase, fraud victims say they're being failed by banks and some Prudential customers struggle to access their pensions.

Nearly a million carers will get an increase of just 35p a week from April. 939,000 people receive a benefit called Carer’s Allowance — currently £67.25 a week — for looking after another person who is severely disabled. In order to qualify people must provide for at least 35 hours a week - though most will spend considerably more time caring than that. The April rise amounts to just 1p extra per hour. This increase is in line with the rate of inflation the previous September when inflation was just half of one percent. Paul Lewis talks to the leader of the Liberal Democrats, Sir Ed Davey, and Gareth Howells, Chief Executive of the charity, Carers Trust.

After last week’s item about one family’s 20 hour wait to tell HSBC about a push payment fraud which cost listener Richard £8500, Money Box asked for your experiences  getting help from your bank when a theft happens. Hundreds of you were in touch. Dan Whitworth reports on what you told him and Paul talks to Tom Keatinge who is Director of the Centre for Financial Crime and Security Studies at Royal United Services Institute.

One of Britain’s largest insurers has admitted long delays following instructions from customers to access their pension savings when they retire. Money Box received several complaints about the weeks and weeks it is taking for customers to get hold of their own money. Paul talks to Romi Savova, Chief Executive of Pension Bee.

Presenter: Paul Lewis
Reporter: Dan Whitworth
Researchers: Sowda Ali and Jonelle Awomoyi
Producer: Ben Carter
Editor: Rosamund Jones

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