Unpaid carers urged to apply for £500 grant

Thousands of unpaid carers in Swansea are being urged to consider applying for a one-off Welsh Government grant of £500 to help them through post-pandemic financial pressures.

Unpaid carers who were in receipt of Carers’ Allowance on March 31 2022 are eligible for the payment.

However, people won’t be eligible if they have a carer’s premium paid within a means-tested benefit such as Universal Credit.

Although Swansea Council is administering the grant, eligibility criteria have been set out by the Welsh Government.

Anyone who thinks they may be eligible for the payment must apply for the grant online on Swansea Council’s website here: www.swansea.gov.uk/unpaidcarersgrant

The application page – which includes details about who is eligible and who is not – opened on May 16. Registrations for the grant must be completed by 5pm on July 15.

Andrea Lewis, Joint Deputy Leader of the Council, said: “We’ve already sent letters to around 1,300 carers who we think might be eligible to apply, encouraging them to consider registering for the grant.

“But Welsh Government has estimated there are around 4,000 carers in Swansea who might be entitled to the grant and we’d urge people to take a look at the website to see if they can register for a payment.

“We can provide support to anyone who cannot fill in the form themselves and has no-one to help them do it. We have also made local support groups and organisations aware they can fill in the form for the people they are assisting.”

Anyone who believes they may be eligible for a grant must register for it. They’ll then be assessed and a payment made if they are entitled to it.