Conservative calls for the fees and allowances paid to Hertfordshire foster carers to be reviewed have been highlighted to county councillors.

Across Hertfordshire, foster carers who are recruited and supported by the county council receive an allowance from the council of around £500 a week.

But alternative foster placements that are secured through an independent fostering agency incur a cost to the council of around £1,200.

The disparity was highlighted at the latest meeting of the council's children's and families cabinet panel, in response to a motion submitted by Cllr Paula Hiscocks (Conservative, Rickmansworth West).

In that motion, the councillors called for the county council to model the impact of increasing foster carer pay against projected savings, if reliance on independent foster care agencies were to reduce as a consequence.

And they called for a review and uplift of the county's own fees and allowances, to make sure they were more competitive with neighbouring authorities.

Addressing the panel, Cllr Hiscocks said she had tabled the motion in response to data showing the £700-a-week difference in the costs of in-house foster care placements and agency placements.

She suggested that paying higher rates directly to in-house foster carers could cut costs overall by leading to a reduction in the use of agencies.

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And in that scenario, she suggested that money no longer being paid to agencies could go back into children's services.

Officers acknowledged that foster carers employed by independent agencies could be paid "a little bit more" – and that some neighbouring councils offered higher rates.

But they also highlighted the additional £1.4m allocated by the county council this year, to increase foster carer allowances in Hertfordshire.

And they stressed that the amount of support offered to foster carers was often considered to be equally significant as financial benefits, with some independent foster carers having opted to move to the county council.

Officers highlighted programmes that include 'Mockingbird Hubs', where a 'hub' home provides support, guidance, training and respite to a number of other foster families, and the availability of 'emergency foster carers'.

And they pointed to the council's 'Nurture Empathy Support Trust (NEST) programme, where specialist foster carers can receive up to £80,000 a year to care for children who would otherwise require residential care.

Councillors heard that foster carers receive both a fostering allowance payment, which is set by the Department for Education, and a fostering skills payment, which is set by the county council.

Foster carers in Hertfordshire now receive an average of £503.61 a week, which is made up of the £244.75 allowance and £258.86 skills payment.

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That's more than the reported £475.70 average payment offered in Luton and the £419.75 in Central Bedfordshire.

But, according to the data presented to the cabinet panel, it's less than the average payments made in Norfolk (£505.50) and in Essex, where the average payment is £529.75, plus a £2,000 welcome fee.

Director of specialist services commissioning, Miranda Gittos, said the rates on offer in the county were "competitive", compared to other local authorities, across the region and nationally.

And she stressed that access to social workers and access to support were of "equal importance" – later suggesting that some agency staff moved over to the county council because of the support on offer.

She told councillors that recruitment and retention in the county was strong, with 23 foster carers leaving the service last year but 36 recruited. And she said retention rates were "really, really high".

Cllr Hiscocks noted the support that was offered to Hertfordshire's foster carers.

But, with the high cost of living, she suggested some could be swayed by the payments on offer through an agency, or by neighbouring authorities such as Hillingdon

And she asked how the council could now think outside the box, to potentially partner with local businesses to look at other privileges that could be offered.

During the debate, Cllr Miriam Swainston (Liberal Democrat, Bishop's Stortford West) said officers had demonstrated that the council was "doing well".

She said the £26 difference between the skills payment offered by Hertfordshire and neighbouring Essex was "neither here nor there".

And she warned against comparisons with Hillingdon or other London boroughs.

Meanwhile, Cllr Kirsty Taylor-Moran (Green, Ware North) was among those to question the impact that increases in fees could have on those who were recruited, suggesting that if it was all about money, they could potentially attract "the wrong types of people".

And she suggested it may also have a knock-on effect across the region – on the prices paid by other local authorities and, in turn, on the independent sector too.

During the debate, Cllr Chris Lloyd (Liberal Democrat, Croxley) pointed to those who start fostering at a young age.

And he asked whether it should be talked about with pupils in secondary schools, so they are at least thinking about it for the future.

Meanwhile, Cllr Hiscocks suggested it could be highlighted to older people who had a spare room and whose own children had left home.

Although the contents of the motion were debated at the meeting on May 12, no vote was taken.