Charity warns council in danger of losing £4m

Some 469 flags were planted to represent the number of care-experienced young people currently in Torbay

A charity has warned a council in Devon could be in danger of not getting £4m in government funding if it does not act to help house care-leavers sufficiently.

YMCA Exeter said the funding could not be accessed if Torbay Council could not help it develop 36 affordable accommodation places in Paignton for care-experienced young people.

Speaking at a council meeting on 9 December, Councillor Swithin Long said it would be "an absolute tragedy" if the money was lost.

A Torbay Council spokesperson said: "All planning applications must be considered according to their individual circumstances and take into account relevant national and local planning policies."

Previous plans rejected

They added the authority would continue to work closely with Homes England and partners to discuss the delivery of the project's allocated funding.

A previous proposal presented by YMCA Exeter, which was rejected on 14 October, would have provided 18 homes for local young people in Paignton.

The council voted to reject the development over concerns that the properties sat in a core tourism area.

YMCA Exeter said the only way for the funding to be obtained was to get 36 units up and running by the end of March.

Last Wednesday, young people gathered to plant 469 flags around the Care Leavers Tree at Victoria Park in Paignton.

The display represented the number of care experienced young people currently in Torbay.

Andy Fletcher, 31, was in care from the age of eight to 18 and now volunteers as a YMCA Exeter Ambassador.

He said: "I'd honestly be dead without YMCA Exeter.

"My journey has been about maturing as a person. Today I can look back and see the difference in my life."