Anger at cost of buying children's home

The house has cost the council and the government £800,000 in total, a Freedom of Information request revealed.

The £800,000 cost of a new children’s home near Wolverhampton has sparked protests from councillors.

The city council spent £400,000 on buying and converting the home in Keepers Lane near Tettenhall, with the government making up the remaining £400,000.

Although planning approval was granted last May, a Freedom of Information (FOI) request has revealed the financial details.

The Labour-run council said investing in the home was “absolutely the right thing to do” as external placements can cost more than £10,000 per week.

At the time the application was agreed, Conservative councillor for Tettenhall Regis, Sohail Khan, said although there was a need for facilities, the location "did not meet the necessary criteria for creating a safe and supportive environment".

He said the house was situated in a fairly isolated area which lacked infrastructure and "represents a flagrant waste of taxpayers’ hard-earned money".

Fellow Tettenhall Regis councillor, Udey Singh, subsequently asked the council children’s services department for information on the costs.

He was told that a total of £790,366 had been spent.

The home is in Keepers Lane, near The Wergs in Tettenhall

He described the expenditure as "the latest in a series of failures", and said the residents of Wolverhampton "deserve better".

But cabinet member for children and young people, Labour councillor Chris Burden, defended the investment.

He said councils run by all political parties recognised "the extreme need" for children’s placements in safe, secure neighbourhoods with access to good schools.

"External placements can cost well upwards of £10,000 per week per child, and be in homes as far away as Scotland.

"This is not good enough for our children in Wolverhampton," he said.

There was no evidence to suggest using the home would lead to increased antisocial behaviour in the local area, he said.

He added that private companies can open a children’s home wherever they want and charge councils whatever the market decides.

"We make no apology for investing in our children and our young people because we believe it is the right thing to do.” he said.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.