We clapped for carers once – now they are being forced to choose between food and fuel

The cost of living crisis affects us all. We see it in rising energy bills, the increasing cost of our weekly shop, and in soaring fuel prices. But there are few who will feel this perfect storm of spiralling costs more than our homecare workers – who literally travel the extra mile to deliver care to some of the most vulnerable people in society.

According to the Homecare Association, homecare workers drive a collective 4 million miles every day to provide vital care to people across the UK. Without these essential journeys, thousands of people would stop receiving the specialist support they need to live with safety and independence in their own homes. Many would be forced to turn to care homes, increasing costs for them, their loved ones and taxpayers, and people’s health and wellbeing would ultimately suffer.

As a care provider, we can only do so much to alleviate this burden on homecare staff. At Right at Home UK, for example, we offer a living wage well above the market rate but, like all other care providers, are faced with increased financial pressures due to the well reported policy failures from successive governments – not least leaving the sector with significant workforce capacity constraints.

Homecare workers up and down the country are being asked to bear the burden of the rising fuel prices while left to rely only on the care worker mileage tax relief that hasn’t risen since 2011, and the wholly inadequate 5p per litre fuel levy announced by the chancellor in the spring statement. This is unacceptable.

Without urgent action now, we could see our homecare heroes forced to choose between heating their homes or filling the cars they need to do their jobs and feed their families. In this instance, we can’t blame any homecare worker for questioning the sustainability of a career in care.

We’ll do everything we can to support our own caregivers to ensure this isn’t the case, but we shouldn’t be left to act alone. It’s high time the government stepped up for the same heroes they were encouraging the public to clap for on Thursdays at the height of the pandemic.

We need a homecare worker fuel subsidy now – so these essential frontline workers don’t lose out simply for doing work that is vital for the health and success of our country.

Lucy Campbell

CEO of Right at Home UK

The local government campaign already suggests that in any forthcoming general election, the Labour leader must avoid the Boris Johnson habit of being evasive or defensive when asked awkward questions or sounding ambiguous, or worse shifty, when describing party policies.

The British public may be weary of this well-oiled Johnson trick, displayed once again with his crass comments over the plight of 77-year-old Elsie, but sadly it is already factored into many voters’ political calculations.

They would be far less forgiving if a serious political leader of Starmer’s standing were tempted to compete at this level. Instead, Starmer must remain rooted in his strong and sincerely held values, be up to speed on the finest detail of Labour’s policies (with or without a manifesto) as they apply to the current national challenges and attach them to a compelling narrative and the “big vision” he has still yet to fully reveal to his supporters and the country.

Paul Dolan

Cheshire

While reading Colin Drury’s interesting and informative article in today’s Independent, I was heartened to see the most sensible and refreshing comment made by a councillor, that cut through all the nonsense one normally hears at election time.

Ferdousi Henna Chowdhury, a Labour Worthing borough councillor, is quoted as saying: “I think that if you work hard, listen to people, engage with them, get things done, you can win anywhere.”

Although this may be a simplistic view of government, it is a damn good starting point from which to spring. If you throw into the pot honesty, integrity and determination, then I do believe that in the long term Chowdhury has exactly what it takes to govern on behalf of the people she serves.

The mud-slinging that all parties resort to must be avoided if voters are to understand the policies and future plans that politicians have to offer. Obscuring the lack of a planned future for a borough or country ultimately helps no one.

Roll on local election day on Thursday. It could make for a very interesting outcome for all the parties concerned. Will the Greens and Lib Dems pick up the fall out from the Tories? Or will Labour benefit? Maybe the Tories will prevail? Who knows?

Keith Poole

Basingstoke

Another excellent article by Jess Phillips. However, there is one concept that was not included by its name but dealt with by its consequences. Privilege is, I consider, to be the root cause of many social issues.

Once again, a Tory politician, very privileged and with immense wealth, demonstrates that he lives in a different world to those suffering under the rise in the cost of living. When you are choosing whether to heat or eat, there will be no savings to fall back on but, more likely, debt repayments to be made.

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Living a privileged life insulates that person from the hardships faced by the common person. The right public school teaches you to consider yourself superior, gets you into the right university and makes the right contacts for you. Privilege fosters bullying because people are not considered equal.

While so many people exercise their inherited and unearned privileges, there will be no levelling up.

Robert Murray

Nottingham

Whilst I feel your correspondent’s pain on the treatment of Scots by the English, I would ask her to consider how it feels to be a proud Scot with an English accent living in Scotland? Or a proud Scot with an English accent living in England?

Believe me when I say that having done both, I feel like I have a foot on both camps, but am a member of neither at times. I have been weighed on both sides of the border and been judged and found wanting by many, just because of my accent and my loyalties.

For goodness sake, we can be British but proud English, Scots, Welsh or Irish. How do I know this? Because for all my life I have taken "stick" or "banter" from all sides and although hurtful at times, I rise above it and follow my own path. I am sure of my identity and loyalties and quite honestly care not a jot for others prejudices.

John Sinclair

Pocklington