As National Carers Week gets under way the Green Party has pledged support to Brighton and Hove's "hidden army" of home carers - individuals who are forced to look after physically or mentally dependent family members or friends.

Caroline Lucas, Green Party candidate for Brighton Pavilion, and Georgia Wrighton, Green Councillor for Hanover and Elm Grove, announced they had both endorsed the Carers Poverty Charter currently being championed by voluntary sector organisations and pressure groups including Mencap, Macmillan Cancer, Citizens Advice and Carers UK.

The charter calls on the government to urgently overhaul the benefits system for carers to alleviate the poverty and financial hardships facing many carers. It also calls for the government's 2018 deadline for addressing the issue to be brought forward.

Brighton and Hove is home to an estimated 23,000 carers (including some 500 children). These carers typically receive just £53.10 per week - way below the current minimum wage.

Research has revealed the alarming levels of hardship experienced by many carers nationwide. A study undertaken by Carers UK - which collated the experiences of 3000 carers - found that:

* 72% of carers are worse off as a result of their caring duties

* More than 52% of carers have had to give up work

* 50% are, or have been, in debt

* 74% struggle to pay essential utility bills

* 52% are cutting back on food shopping

* 32% paying rent or a mortgage say they cannot afford it

Caroline Lucas today said: "Carers deserve better support. Many of them do a fantastic job without reward and frequently under considerable pressure - it is time they received a fairer deal. Lets put an end to the years of poverty, exclusion and isolation brought about by the Government's failure to successfully address this issue."

Georgia Wrighton, who is also Deputy Chair of the Adult Social Care and Housing Overview and Scrutiny Committee added: "The UK's 6 million carers save the country an estimated £87 billion per year and the government repays their commitment and hard work by paying them the lowest benefit of its kind. On top of this, government rules deal a double blow, too many carers are unable to combine caring with paid work and study without benefits being cut off, forcing them into poverty, reducing opportunity and eroding quality of life."

Caroline Lucas is this Thursday attending the Time4Me event at the Community Centre in Hangleton's Harmsworth Crescent, where she will meet with carers to discuss their experiences and the support services currently provided in Brighton and Hove.

On Friday, Cllr Wrighton is taking part in the "Carers Challenge" initiative, organised by the Carers Centre in Brighton - enabling members of the public to engage with carers at their homes to hear about the difficulties and challenges they face - and attending an open day at "Patched", part of the Crime Reduction Initiative 'Tackling Drugs Week'.

"Patched" offers support and services for the families, friends and carers of adult substance misusers or anyone in the local community experiencing the effects of someone else's drug or alcohol problem.

According to the organisation many people don't get the support they need because they don't recognise the caring role they have. Carers of drug &/or alcohol users are entitled to an individual assessment to look at the impact of substance misuse on the carers life and how they can be supported more effectively."