General Election - Carers at the Heart of the Care System
+ Calling all candidates- pledge your support here
January 24th, 2010
Pledge to End Carer Impoverishment - read here
Please add your support as a comment below
Do you contribute to a blog/website as part of your campaign? If you like to post there about your support for us and send the link to admin@carerwatch.com we will post the link to your blog here.
Caroline Lucas, Green Party parliamentary candidate for Brighton Pavilion.
Joseph Healy, Green Party Parliamentary Candidate for Vauxhall
Darren Johnson, Green Party Candidate for Lewisham Deptford
Roger Barlow - LibDem PPC for Macclesfield
Jim Ferguson, Conservative Party Candidate – Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch & Strathspey
Jessica Goldfinch Green Party PPC Norwich North
Kevin Hind Labour PPC Bury St Edmunds
Anne Gray Green Parliamentary Candidate for Tottenham
Labour Representation Committee
Michael Meacher Labour PPC Oldham West and Royton
Andrew Newby Green Party parliamentary candidate for Hendon
Sarah Evans Labour’s PPC for NW Hampshire
Michael Connarty - Labour Linlithgow and East Falkirk
Steve Barnard Green Party Candidate Sheffield Hallam
Malcolm Bailey -Green Party Parliamentary Candidate for Mid Bedfordshire
Lee Skevington - Labour Party candidate for the Yeovil constituency
Dafydd Trystan Davies -Plaid Cymru candidate for Cynon Valley
Paul Bell - one of the Labour Candidates for Telegraph Hill Ward, Lewisham Borough Council
Steve Dawe -Press Officer of Kent Green Party
Susan Murray Green Party candidate for Lewes
Peter Hirst Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for Congleton
Chris Tucker Liberal Candidate for Slough
Prue Bray , Lib Dem candidate for Wokingham
Dr Juliet Williams Liberal Democrat PPC for Brighton Kemptown
Andrew Dakers Leader of Hounslow Liberal Democrats
Michael Mullaney Bosworth Liberal Democrat
Robert Adamson -Lib Dem Candidate for East Yorkshire
Richard Baum Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for Bury North
Parmjit Singh Gill - Liberal Democrat PPC for Leicester South and former MP
Nigel Bennett - Liberal Democrat PPC for South Suffolk
Mike Popham - Prospective MP for Bristol East Liberal Democrats
Derek Deedman - Liberal Democrat Candidate for Arundel & South Downs
Andrew Aalders -Dunthorpe Liberal Democrat PPC for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich
Sally McIntosh - Lib Dem Candidate for Mid Derbyshire
Geoff Williams - Lib Dem candidate for South Basildon & East Thurrock
Alexis Saliou DIOUF -Liberal Democrats PPC for South Derbyshire
Julian Huppert - Liberal Democrat PPC for Cambridge
Peter Fisher - LibDem PPC for Ribble South
Terrye Teverson - PPC Truro Falmouth Liberal Democrats
Dave Naghi -PPC for Faversham & Mid-Kent for the Lib-Dems
Peter Tyzack-Liberal Democrat candidate for Filton & Bradley Stoke
Harrish Bisnauthsing -Liberal Democrats PPC for GRANTHAM AND STAMFORD CONSTITUENCY
Trevor Carbin - LibDem PPC South West Wiltshire
Julian Brazil - Lib Dem Parliamentary Candidate Totnes
Barry Rabone -Lib dems paliamentary candidate
Paul Brighton - LibDem PPC Alyn& Deeside
Chris Williams , Plaid Cymru Party of Wales Parliamentary Candidate for Cardiff Central
David Chappell - Lib Dem PPC for Bury St Edmunds
Mike Bell - Liberal Democrat PPC for Weston-super-Mare
Paul Elgood - Lib Dem Brighton and Hove
Dr Jon Underwood - PPC Tiverton and Honiton Liberal Democrats
Roger Barlow - Liberal Democrat Candidate for Macclesfield
Julia Davis - Liberal Democrat PPC for Stevenage
Sally FitzHarris - Lib Dem PPC for Kingswood
Emma Dixon - Green Party Parliamentary Candidate, Islington North
Chris Bowers - Lib Dem PPC Wealden
Helen Flynn - Liberal Democrat PPC for Skipton & Ripon
Jamie Saddler - Lib Dem PPC Wirral South
Wilson Chowdhry - Green Party Candidate Ilford South
George Heron - Green Party candidate for Bury South
Steve Webb MP - LibDem Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
Richard Gadsden - Liberal Democrat PPC for Worsley and Eccles South
Peter Wilcock - LibDem PPC for Saffron Walden
Ruth Coleman - LibDem PPC for Leeds West
+ Pledge to End Carers Impoverishment
January 18th, 2010
Carer Watch are concerned that all past / present governments have failed to recognise that family carers are at the heart of the care system. Unless family carers are acknowledged and supported, both financially and through care services, no new system will be sustainable. Family carers are not an optional extra to be added on as an after thought.
Any new government needs to face up to this and make some speed in deciding how to adequately fund family carers. Ten years of nothing was serious, TWENTY YEARS OF NOTHING IS NOT ACCEPTABLE.
+ Calling all Carer/Disability groups and Organisations
January 17th, 2010
Over the last few months Carer Watch have been working alongside many individuals/groups/organisations regarding some of the proposals contained in the Green Paper for Social Care.
With a General Election imminent,it is vital we continue to raise awareness and ensure that any new govt listens to our concerns. To that end we ask you to pledge your support for carers and the disabled.
Add your name here or contact admin@carerwatch.com
All individuals that wish to pledge their support can do so here
.
+ Nick Clegg adds his name to Carer Watch Carers campaign
March 6th, 2010
Included in an email received from Stephen Lotinga was the following.
I’ve also spoken with Nick Clegg and he’d be delighted to add his name to your
Carers Campaign.
Kind regards
Stephen
Senior Health Adviser
Liberal Democrats
+ Steve Webb MP - LibDem Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
March 6th, 2010
Carer Watch has received a message of support from Steve Webb MP - LibDem Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. Details below.
Thank you for your email regarding the CarerWatch manifesto. I am happy to confirm that the Liberal Democrats are supportive of these three campaigns.
Specifically,
1) We have pledged a review of the carers’ allowance to consider the best way to improve support for carers to reflect the personal and financial cost of care. The first stage would be to ensure that pensioner carers receive a higher income by re-linking the basic state pension to earnings. This would be a step towards introducing a Citizens Pension based on residency rather than national insurance contributions, which would also benefits carers,many of whom have gaps in their national insurance records. Our manifesto
will also include a ‘respite for carers guarantee’, which means that if you care for more than 50 hours a week, you will have the right to a full week of respite.
2) The issue of disability benefits for the over 65s was was debated in the House before Christmas and we supported Lib Dem Bob Russell’s EDM calling for Attendance Allowance and Disability Living Allowance to be ‘secured and not abolished’ as part of any future reform of the social care system.
3) Regarding the ESA, we are very concerned at the Government’s heavy-handed attempts to move as many people off benefits as possible. We believe that people must be supported back into work where this is suitable for them, and at their own pace, but we certainly do not believe in coercion. We think the work capability assessment is too harsh and we would not want to see people with serious mental health problems pushed back into work before they’re ready. We favour a ‘partial capacity benefit’ that would allow people to do some work when they were able to, without losing benefit entitlement, as a much fairer way of supporting those with fluctuating conditions such as mental health issues..
I hope this is helpful, and thank you for taking the trouble to get in touch.
Best wishes,
Steve Webb MP
Liberal Democrat Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
+ Ruth Coleman - LibDem PPC for Leeds West
March 6th, 2010
I am happy to support this excellent campaign.
Ruth Coleman
Liberal Democrat Candidate
Leeds West
+ Peter Wilcock - LibDem PPC for Saffron Walden
March 6th, 2010
I totally support the pledge to end carers impoverishment.
Peter Wilcock
Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for Saffron Walden
+ Richard Gadsden - Liberal Democrat PPC for Worsley and Eccles South
March 4th, 2010
As Liberal Democrat PPC for Worsley and Eccles South, I’m pleased to be able to add my support to this important campaign.
+ George Heron - Green Party candidate for Bury South
March 3rd, 2010
As Green Party candidate for Bury South I fully support the campaign for continuing financial support for Carers through the benefit system. Like many other I have seen the stresses placed on carers within my own family. I am pleased to belong to a party with a long-term commitment to providing unconditional basic financial support for all through a Citizen’s Income. Your campaign is in the spirit of this ideal.
George Heron
+ Wilson Chowdhry - Green Party Candidate Ilford South
March 3rd, 2010
I believe it is a responsibility for all people in free democracies to
protect more vulnerable groups.
Wilson Chowdhry Green Party Candidate
Ilford South.