Tameside social services face putting teen in Airbnb, court hears

A vulnerable teenager should be lawfully deprived of her liberty, social services bosses have told the High Court.

Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council wants to place the girl in a specialist unit but faces putting her in an Airbnb place because of a shortage of places.

The girl, in her mid-teens, is in a hospital "entirely unsuitable" for her, but doctors say she can be discharged.

Mr Justice MacDonald is due to review developments at a hearing next week.

The judge, who is overseeing the litigation at hearings in the Family Division of the High Court, has heard how the girl has been in hospital as a result of being injured and has a range of complex difficulties.

The Greater Manchester council's barrister told the judge of the temporary Airbnb plan at the latest hearing in the case in London.

Amina Ahmed said the plan was to rent Airbnb accommodation, where the girl could live with support staff, until a suitable residential unit could be found.

She said residential units were being assessed.

Mr Justice MacDonald said there were difficulties finding specialist accommodation for vulnerable teenagers across England and Wales.

'Council's wide powers'

He said he had overseen a number of hearings in the girl's case, and £10,000 of public money had been spent on lawyers, but no suitable unit had been found.

The judge said the hospital ward she is in was "entirely unsuitable" for her.

He also heard submissions from lawyers representing the girl, her mother and Education Secretary Gavin Williamson.

Barrister Jack Holborn, who represented Mr Williamson, told the judge the girl's case was not a government matter.

"Local authorities have wide powers available to them to commission services as they see fit," Mr Holborn said.