To think that a 23k benefits cap will drive some families in the SE

[Minifingers9]

... Into destitution?

I live in a pretty unappealing and comparatively cheap part of greater London but you can't get a 3 bedroom rental for under £1400 a month.
If we lost our jobs we wouldn't be able to live on 23k a year as a family of 5. Not when 15k of it was going on rent.
Why don't they have regional benefit caps?

They have said that households that receive DLA are exempt from the cap, so presumably people who claim carers allowance won't be affected as long as the person they care for lives in the same house and gets DLA.

But not all carers live in the same house as the person they are caring for. A disabled friend has an arrangement where she lives in a house converted into 2 flats. She lives upstairs in a flat, and her mum her carer lives downstairs. It gives her some independence. But she is too disabled from birth to truly live alone, she needs someone very close by to help her.

In situations like that the carer will not have any of the extra costs associated with disability because they will be covered (although probably not adequately) in the disabled friends household. The carer will be getting £23k before they are affected.

What about ESA I have asked this before in this thread and it's been conveniently ignored. ESA is included on the cap unless it's the support group. The WRA group does not mean you are fit for work. It means possibly one day you might be. However you will be subject to the cap to encourage you to work.

The carers will still not have the opportunity to earn enough to pay for high rent PtolemysNeedle.

That's down to individual circumstances, some people who act as carers for others do work especially when they don't live with the person they care for. And they will still be able to receive up to £23k if they are eligible for that much.

I'd have thought that people who are unable to work because of their disability are eligible for DLA, so that would exempt them.

I know it might not always work for people, but it think in those cases the problem would be that they have been assessed incorrectly, (which is obviously something that needs to change!) not that the cap is wrong. I think I did answer that earlier in the thread.

meanwhile - www.independent.co.uk/news/uk-most-unequal-country-in-the-west-1329614.html

obviously, current and recent policies are making things worse

new childcare rules won't help people earn more, apparently

looks like the main issue is shortage of genuinely affordable housing

No, someone applying now for disability benefits has to apply for PIP. This is for basic help such as washing, dressing, getting out and preparing meals. You might be able to do all of these things, and still not be able to work. Doing basic self care is very different from working.

Yes morage very good point.
Also my elephant in the room aka ESA point has bed ignored for the fourth time on this thread.

You don't need to be unable to work to get pip though.

People are notautomatically exempt for DLA if unable to work. They need to need help with personal care.

Yes PtolemysNeedle, however morages point was you may be disabled and unable to work. However if you don't receive pip you are disabled and subject to the cap.