Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Why is it fair that Scottish carers get more carers allowance than English carers?

161 replies

KindleAndCake · 18/06/2025 10:09

With the carers supplement they get twice a year, it boils down to just over £11 a week more than English carers. They're all doing the same old slog, so why is it fair.
I am caring for 2 people, it is hard going. I only get carers for 1 though as that is how the system works. Ive just found out that Scottish carers get a supplement twice a year, lucky ducks. Well sort of, better than nowt.
So my question is, why? I thought we were one nation. Am I being unreasonable here.

OP posts:
Woshah · 18/06/2025 10:36

much higher pip equivalent

pip and adp payment is the same in England and Scotland

Computersaysdontwantto · 18/06/2025 10:31

Scotland gets £2,000 more per hear a year to spend than it raises in taxes thanks to the Barnett formula. Instead of improving public services with this money it chooses to give this money away in benefits and ‘free’ things. Prescriptions, baby boxes, university tuition, much higher pip equivalent, no bedroom tax etc. they keep getting voted in by people living off benefits, public services keep getting worse, income tax on those earning more than the average wage keeps going up.

Its the way the SNP thinks a country should be run.

onlymethen · 18/06/2025 10:22

It’s what the Scottish government chooses to allocate. Scotland is a much more socialist country from what I can see.

englishandelegant · 18/06/2025 10:22

We are not one nation, we are four separate nations who combine for various political matters.
It could be as simple as England is a bigger nation and therefore it would be more expensive to pay all English carers that amount, whereas Scotland is smaller and has fewer people overall. Or it could be Scottish govt decision on how they allocate funds for different things. I agree it seems unfair in some ways but there are also various other things Scotland do that I feel are better- free prescriptions, free bus travel for under 21s, no separate water bill etc. But they are a separate nation, there’ll be other things England do differently too.

SapphireOpal · 18/06/2025 10:21

Scotland also pays higher income tax to allow things like this.

That's what devolution is about I'm afraid.

Smallsalt · 18/06/2025 10:20

KindleAndCake · 18/06/2025 10:09

With the carers supplement they get twice a year, it boils down to just over £11 a week more than English carers. They're all doing the same old slog, so why is it fair.
I am caring for 2 people, it is hard going. I only get carers for 1 though as that is how the system works. Ive just found out that Scottish carers get a supplement twice a year, lucky ducks. Well sort of, better than nowt.
So my question is, why? I thought we were one nation. Am I being unreasonable here.

Does the word "devolution" ring a bell?

Scottishskifun · 18/06/2025 10:20

In Scotland the taxes are higher for people with different thresholds.

It's also devolution so Scottish govt get to decide what money is spent on. Flip side there is no under 3s childcare funding unless you qualify for assisted 2 year old funding which tends to be UC households.

SusanChurchouse · 18/06/2025 10:16

Devolution. It allows for different policy and financial decisions to be taken in Scotland by our own government. We have a different NHS, Education and Justice system (among other things) too. The lack of knowledge about this across the rest of the UK is odd.

JaneOfGaunt · 18/06/2025 10:15

We’re not one nation, we’re four. A lot of decisions are taken centrally in Westminster but a lot are devolved and decided locally - and care is one of them. You might as well ask as why carers in France are paid differently - different governments make different decisions. As a general rule, we have better services and higher taxes in Scotland.

Ablondiebutagoody · 18/06/2025 10:12

YABU. Presumably this is a decision taken by the Scottish Government.

Therapee · 18/06/2025 10:11

Many of us pay higher income tax?

Swipe left for the next trending thread