SOUTH Lakes MP Tim Farron has joined cross-party calls for the Government to increase social care workers' wages.

Several dozen lawmakers are pushing to boost care workers' pay packet to at least the living wage, in recognition of their immense effort during the Coronavirus public health emergency.

In a letter to Health and Social Care Secretary, Matt Hancock, the group of 38 MPs also urged the Government to: offer staff additional death in service and sick pay benefits; reimbursement for travel between appointments; and not to allow social care workers to be referred to as 'low-skilled' in future.

According to analysis by the TUC, a quarter of social care workers earn less than £10 an hour.

On top of this, the average employee earns just £16,400 a year.

Mr Farron, the MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale, said: “Those working in social care have been underpaid and undervalued for far too long.

“This crisis offers us an unprecedented opportunity to reform our broken social care system, with the British public overwhelmingly supportive of a pay rise and improved working conditions for those in social care.

“These workers have gone above and beyond in their efforts to look after those in care and have been extremely brave in the face of this deadly virus.

“The Government must recognise their sacrifice by increasing their pay to at least the living wage”.