During Oral Questions for the Department for Work and Pensions in the House of Commons on Monday, North Wiltshire MP James Gray demanded more ought to be done to help care leavers stay in their local areas despite rising house prices.

In the House of Commons Chamber, Mr Gray asked:

“In my constituency, the problem is that the house prices are incredibly high and that that is coupled with a squeeze on the private rented sector, thanks to recent tax changes on private landlords. This means that care leavers in a place such as Wiltshire have little chance of staying where they come from and were born. What more can the Government do to find ways of encouraging these people to stay in their home area and helping them with it?”

​The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Mims Davies MP agreed with Mr Gray’s contribution, responding that:

“I thank my hon. Friend for raises these issues, which we have around the country. Let me assure the House that the Department for Education is looking at how it can encourage more local authorities to develop similar offers to care leavers, which was part of an independent review of children’s social care. That is part of the work that I, and the housing taskforce, are doing on housing, and I am keen to look at it.”