H&F foster carers will now be exempt from local council tax. It was agreed at a Hammersmith & Fulham Council Cabinet meeting this week (15 January).
Cllr Rowan Ree, H&F Cabinet Member for Finance and Reform, announced the exemption for foster carers at Monday's Cabinet meeting, saying:
Today I'm very happy to announce that in light of the vital and important work that they do, foster carers in the borough will now be exempt from council tax."
You can watch the entire meeting on YouTube.
H&F has cut or frozen council tax payments five times in the last nine years, and nearly half of all residents receive a discount through our council tax support scheme.
Residents exempt from paying include care leavers, students, war widows, and those on low incomes.
H&F's foster carers
Hammersmith & Fulham welcomes applications for long and short-term foster carers from all different walks of life.
One of H&F's current foster carers, who has lived in Shepherds Bush for 33 years and works for an airline company, has fostered local teenagers since 2000.
"I foster around my job, we all leave the house together around 8am and come home together," she explained.
The foster carer is currently caring for a young person with autism who she has fostered for the past five years.
"I couldn't do a small child because of my work. But I knew I had the space and could give a teenager a place with me, give them education, love, safety and structure.
"It's really wonderful when you sow the seed, giving a child love and seeing the result. If you have a spare room, fostering is the best thing in the world."
Her first foster child, whom she fostered for eight years, is now an adult who supports her foster mum as a back-up carer. She looks after her foster mum's children when she needs a break or goes on holiday.
Find out here what requirements you must meet to foster in H&F. Or visit our dedicated fostering webpages to find out more about foster care.
