LAWRENCE Cunliffe has called for carers to be registered by the Local Authority.

Mr. Cunliffe, who is fighting to retain his Leigh Parliamentary seat for Labour, pledged his backing to get carers on a register and issued with a licence to practice in the borough - "in the same way as taxi drivers".

He said he will be pressing the new Government to make registration compulsory. And he claims to have already broached the subject with two ministers during the early part of the year.

He was speaking after claims in last week's Journal by Christine Shovelton of Atherton that she has had carers foisted on her by a private agency who have proved unfit, alleging one of them even turned up at her home drunk, while she was robbed by another.

Mr. Cunliffe said: "I have assured Christine that I will be doing everything I can. I have already sent her two ministerial reports and I will pursue this matter to do everything possible to make carers, whether employed by the council, private agencies or anyone else, to be licenced by the Local Authority in the same way as taxi drivers are licensed."

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