Slough Borough Council Cabinet voted on 22 January 2018 to make sure young people leaving care from Slough did not have to struggle with the burden of council tax bills. This policy was updated and agreed by Cabinet on 4 February 2019.
The move will make sure Slough care leavers aged between 18 and up to their 25th birthday, where the authority has a responsibility for them, will be exempt from paying council tax from April 2018, going forward.
This will be applied automatically for care leavers who are a Slough resident. For care leavers who are the responsibility of Slough, but are not a Slough resident please contact the council (your Personal Advisor) for the award to be made.
The council’s decision has been backed by The Children’s Society who have led a campaign encouraging local authorities to waive council tax payments for those leaving care. Research from the national charity shows that council tax debt can be a particularly frightening experience for care leavers.
It is the council’s duty as "corporate parent" to make sure young people in council care get the best start in life just as any other parent would for their child when they turned 18.