Deb says “A friend of mine got two letters yesterday, one telling her how much she would have to pay for her spare bedroom, and the other telling her how much she would have to pay towards Council Tax. She’s on benefits because she’s spent the last twenty years as full-time carer for her mother. In the process, she’s wrecked her back and her knees and now, in her late fifties and out of the workplace for so long, cannot see potential employers rushing to take her on. Her mother finally had to go into residential care three months ago, which was hugely traumatic for mother and daughter, but my friend could no longer cope with the lifting and wheelchair pushing because of pain. Her housing association do not have any one-bedded properties available. If she moves further away, then getting to see her mum will be both expensive and difficult.”