Janice Clark

ALT The proportion of working-age adults in low-to-middle income households who report having a disability has increased from 19% in the mid-1990s to 30% last year. Disability is now twice as common in the poorer half of Britain compared to the richer half. These trends have driven a rise in caring responsibilities. One-in-ten low-to-middle income families in Britain today include both a disabled member and an unpaid carer.

ALT Disability and unpaid care carry a big income penalty. People living with a disabled person and a carer are three-times as likely to experience material deprivation as those who don’t. Even after adjusting for family type, families including a disabled person and carer suffer a £3,300 a year income penalty compared to those that don’t .

ALT While much of the current focus is on getting people into work, limited employment can prove just as big an income barrier. Two-fifths of working carers are unable to work as much as they’d like. One-in-three disabled people in low-to-middle income families work in atypical forms of work like Zero Hours Contracts and self-employment – a far higher share than those without a disability.

ALT Employment Rights Bill provisions, including guaranteed hours and more notice of shift changes, should benefit disabled workers. The cliff edge in Carers’ Allowance (all support is withdrawn once someone earns over £196/week) should be replaced by a tapering of support. The Government should also level up the value of unpaid care - starting by raising the care element of Universal Credit and extending carers’ leave from one to four weeks.