Deborah Price

Nearly 400 looked-after children from Hertfordshire were living outside the county at the end of March 2026, including 117 placed in areas as far away as rural Scotland, County Durham, Devon and Lancashire. Hertfordshire County Council said four of the five children placed furthest away were in specialist settings and the other was with a long-term foster carer; it also said children received regular visits from their social workers. Critics, including Conservative councillor Paula Hiscocks and the Become charity, warned that distant placements can disrupt education, family contact and stability. The Liberal Democrat-run council plans to spend £21m on 70 new residential places by September 2027 to increase local provision.