Bury Council backs Government plans to give Care Leavers the best start in life

Bury Council backs Government plans to give Care Leavers the best start in life

Bury Council supports the Children’s Society recommendations in their recent ‘Keep on Caring’ report which sets out recommendations to give Care Leavers the best possible start in life. The report outlines that Care Leavers are known to be at a higher risk of becoming homeless when living independently, and Bury Council is committed to offering Care Leavers support in establishing a decent quality of life.

In the Government’s Care Leavers’ strategy, published in July 2016, they encouraged councils to consider the role of a corporate parent ‘through the lens of what any reasonable parent does to give their child the best start in life’. In relation to this, local authorities were encouraged to consider exempting care leavers from council tax using the powers already at their disposal.

Specifically Bury Council is pushing forward plans to give 100% council tax exemption for Care Leavers to help them avoid debt.

Councillor Eamonn O’Brien, Cabinet Member for Finance and Housing, said: “For many Care Leavers their lives have already involved a lot of difficulty and uncertainty before they come to taking their first steps into an independent life.”

“What we want to do is make sure they know that, while they may have left the Care system, there are still plenty of things we can do as a council to help make their lives easier.”

Councillor Rishi Shori, Leader of Bury Council, said:“This will not affect a large number of people in the Borough, but by putting money back into the pockets of some of our most vulnerable residents, we hope to make a real difference to the next stage of their lives.”