I read with interest Steve Grey’s letter about the Government’s decision to stop housing benefit for under-21s and the impact this will have on looked-after children.

He highlights an issue that should shame us all – namely, how we fail the most vulnerable children and young people in our society.

Children who go through the care system are twice as likely to be excluded permanently from school as their peers, almost four times as likely to suffer a fixed-term exclusion, and more than four times as likely to suffer from mental health issues.

As Mr Grey mentions, looked-after young people leave school with significantly fewer qualifications.

None of this is their fault: it is due entirely to luck, or a lack thereof, of birth. The Government’s decision to remove housing benefit from these young people is just one more slap in the face for those who must already feel that everything is stacked against them.

In Devon, our county council has been rated inadequate ­consistently by Ofsted for the outcomes of children in care in our area. As the Liberal Democrat candidate for the South Brent and Yealmpton county council division in this May’s elections, I can assure Mr Grey that if I am elected I will ensure that this often overlooked area is given the priority it needs.

I will also be reading Mr Grey’s book to gain an even greater insight.

Antony Power,

Liberal Democrat candidate for South Brent and Yealmpton,

South Brent