Plymouth care leavers’ request is taken to the Commons

Young people leaving care should be given more help affording a deposit on their first rental property according to Plymouth MP Luke Pollard. Recently in the Commons, Luke called on the Government to introduce a national pilot scheme to help care leavers with rent deposits, after he secured a meeting with the newly appointed Work and Pensions Secretary, Central Devon MP, Mel Stride over the issue.

The MP for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport has supported appeals for care leavers to be given support with first deposits to enable them to have better access to accommodation in the private rented sector.

In September, Luke hosted an event for care leavers from Plymouth in Westminster.;The group of young people travelled to Parliament to make the case to MPs for more focus on the needs of care experienced by young people. The young people, supported by children's charity Barnardo’s, shared with MPs their stories of being in care and the challenges they face today as care leavers.

One of the asks made by young people was more help with affording a deposit on a rental property after they leave care. Many care leavers do not have access to financial support or a rent guarantor such as a parent or guardian for their first home.

In the House of Commons, Luke called on the Government to introduce a rent a deposit scheme to help young people ‘get a better start in life’.

The Work and Pension Secretary, Mel Stride MP, agreed to meet with Luke and the children’s charity Barnardo’s to discuss proposals for the scheme.

Care leavers currently face practical difficulties in securing a deposit for rented accommodation, including not being able to access a rent guarantor. According to Barnardo’s the average age of a young person leaving home is now 23, but for care leavers that is 18 and many are facing more severe economic problems affording a home of their own after leaving local authority care.

Research also suggests that 13% of care leavers had been unable to access private rented accommodation because the landlord was unwilling to accommodate them. Competition laws enable landlords to pick and choose their tenants, where often they favour young professionals over care-experienced young people.

The issue is particularly prevalent in Plymouth, with the number of care leavers in the city on the rise. The number of looked-after children in Plymouth has increased from 78 per 10,000 in 2015 to 91 per 10,000 in 2021 according to figures from the Local Government Association.

Luke Pollard, Member of Parliament for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport, said:;“Care leavers often get a poor deal and their experiences are often overlooked. I want to change that. I was so proud of the young care leavers for travelling to Westminster to lobby MPs in September, that I wanted to take their campaign directly to the Government.

‘In every community there are brave young people who are leaving care. I agree with Barnardo’s that more help should be offered to help these care leavers with a rental deposit. This would not only save the taxpayer money in the long run, importantly it also gives the young person leaving care the best possible chance to making their own way in the world with a home of their own.”