Care leavers set to be given helping hand
The city’s young care leavers could soon be exempt from paying council tax.
A proposal is set to go before Gloucester City Council’s cabinet that will see council tax waived for care leavers if they live alone and halved if they live with others.
Care leavers aged between 18 and 21 will be eligible, of which there are around 37 in the city.
Young care leavers are a group considered to be particularly vulnerable and can be prone to falling into debt.
The plan being considered by the council recognises that often when they move into their own accommodation they can find it difficult to manage finances for the first time.
Without the family support and wider network that most other young people can rely on, they can find their new responsibilities overwhelming.
Councillor Hannah Norman, Cabinet Member for Performance and Resources, said: “I think everyone would agree this is a really worthwhile step for the Council to take. Care leavers need extra support and if we can make things a little easier while they get themselves established then it’s something we should be doing.”
The City Council and Gloucestershire County Council will fund the move if it gets the green light at the cabinet meeting on February 6.