UNPAID carers across Lichfield and Burntwood are being urged to have their say in a consultation that could reshape workplace rights.
The Department for Business and Trade fact-finding drive forms part of a wider examination the Government committed to when it passed the Carer's Leave Act 2023 review and the Employment Rights Act 2025.
The consultation proposes paid carer's leave for the first time, a right to return to work after a period of intensive caring, and extended unpaid leave of up to six months. It also includes Hugh's Law — new rights and support for parents of seriously ill children – named in memory of Hugh Menai-Davis, who died aged six from cancer in 2021.
Now Burntwood Spoonies Connect's co-founder Sha Taylor – who lives with chronic illness – is urging local people to make sure their voices are heard.
She said:
"I wish it wasn't the case, but I live with chronic illness, and my husband and son have to care for me, unpaid and without the support they deserve. I know the weight of that, for them and for me, every single day.
"We are not alone in this. There are thousands of carers across this country who give everything and get so little back. Six hundred people a day are leaving work because a system built decades ago leaves them no choice. That has to change
"This consultation is a real chance to help put that right — and it needs carers' voices in it. Please take five minutes and respond. Your voice matters more than you know."
People can respond to the consultation online by 1st September.
