Young people leaving care system in Hertfordshire to be exempt from paying council tax

Young people leaving the care system in Hertfordshire will be exempt from paying council tax, under county council budget proposals.

Currently young people leaving care at 18 can find themselves living independently and learning how to juggle budgeting rent, food and bills.

But now Hertfordshire County Council is drawing up plans to ease that financial burden by exempting care leavers aged 18 to 21 from council tax.

The move is being backed by the council’s executive member for children, young people and families Cllr Fiona Thomson.

Speaking at a meeting of the cabinet on Monday (January 15), Cllr Thomson said: “As corporate parents, and we take our corporate parenting responsibility very seriously, Hertfordshire County Council is required to do all that is reasonably possible to ensure care leavers have the best life chances.

“Hertfordshire care leavers are responsible for daily living costs that their peers would not be and disadvantaged as a result, leading to increased need for support.

“So I am very pleased that we will be developing an approach to provide council tax assistance for care leavers, aged 18 to 21 years old, from April 2024.”

Cllr Thomson told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that it’s an issue that’s been raised with the council by children and young people in care.

And she says she wants those leaving the care system to receive this support through a council tax exemption.

She highlighted the plan as part of a debate on the council’s 24/25 budget proposals, which will be scrutinised by councillors over the next four weeks.

As part of those proposals, children’s services would be allocated almost £257m.

Cllr Thomson, who is also deputy leader of the county council, told the meeting that the children’s services budget had been ‘under significant pressure’ this year.

And she said they were continuing to see increases in demand for services, increasing complexity of issues children present with and increasing costs of placements.

She said that in these 24/25 budget proposals the council would be investing an additional £18m to support ‘children looked after’ and children with disabilities.

She highlighted plans for a £3m increase in fostering allowances and the launch of an intensive foster care programme.

She also highlighted a £4.6m capital investment as part of a ‘transformation’ programme that would deliver an additional 22 residential places within the county to support children in care.

Meanwhile Cllr Caroline Clapper, executive member for education, libraries and lifelong learning, told the meeting the council planned for additional investment in services for children with special educational needs and disabilities.

Earlier this year the county council committed to spending an additional £5m a year on SEND services.

And budget proposals for 24/25 propose to increase this additional investment by a further £2m.

“We take this issue extremely seriously and want the best outcomes for the children in Hertfordshire,” she said.

The county council’s budget proposals will be determined by a meeting of the full council on February 13.