More than a quarter of the money sent to councils to support unpaid carers is not being spent in the way it is intended, according to figures released after a freedom of information request.

A total of £88.4m in Carers Act funding was awarded to local authorities in 2022/23, but analysis from the Coalition of Carers in Scotland shows only around £64m of this was actually used for carer support.

Several local authorities have admitted to instead using the money to offset losses of income, or to implement Living Wage pay rises.

The Coalition is calling for budget reporting processes to be made more transparent, and for funding meant for carers to be ring-fenced.

Claire Cairns, Director of the Coalition, says carers across Scotland struggle while funding meant to support them is spent elsewhere:

“The £88.4m of funding provided to Local Authorities to implement the Carers (Scotland) Act and to extend local carer support services has the potential to make a huge difference to carers lives. Data in Scotland shows that only 3 to 4% of carers report having a break from caring and many carers struggle to access the support they need to protect their health and wellbeing. 

“It is disappointing that up to £24m of this funding was not spent on providing direct support to carers.”

The findings come the same month Scotland’s social care minister wrote to the COSLA spokesperson for health and social care to ask for support in ensuring Carers Act resources are allocated in full to support local unpaid carers.

In her letter to Councillor Paul Kelly, Maree Todd MSP said she was ‘particularly concerned’ upon hearing from carers that local funding choices are not transparent.

She wrote:

‘I share their desire to see greater visibility about how local carer services are funded – particularly as we work towards shared accountability and transparency under the National Care Service – so that local carer representatives can see how carer support is being prioritised.

‘To that end, I welcome COSLA’s offer to work with Health and Social Care Partnerships and my officials to help improve local transparency on this issue. COSLA leadership on this will be really valuable.’

The Carers (Scotland) Act 2016 aims to better support Scotland’s estimated 800,000 unpaid carers so that they can continue to care, whilst also having a life alongside caring.

Funding under the act is supposed to be used for implementing support plans for carers, and providing opportunities for respite care and short breaks.

However, thousands of Scots providing care to loved ones are thought to be going unsupported, with Carers Scotland calling for urgent investment to better support unpaid carers’ physical and mental health.

Two years ago,  former social care minister, Kevin Stewart MSP, admitted that the money earmarked for carers is likely being “lost” within other local health and social care spending.

Seven local authority areas in Scotland, including Glasgow, Fife and Inverclyde, told the Coalition for Carers in Scotland that part of the funds have instead been used to offset loss of income.

West Lothian reports that it has used £843k of the funding to ‘implement Living Wage’.

Claire Cairns says she hopes the “clear message from the minister” to ensure carers funding is spent appropriately is listened to and that funding in 2024/25 will be utilised for this purpose.

The coalition says it will publish a revised report of carer spending next week, after receiving additional and amended returns from several areas.

Read more: Money matters for poverty and health in Scotland; Carers at a health and poverty tipping point; Carers in ‘devastating’ financial hardship; ‘Unprecedented' crisis in community health and care

Sign up to our bulletin for key health & social care updates straight to your inbox.