A COUNCIL is proposing to take £500,000 of funds allocated for children and young people and spend it on other schemes.

Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council cabinet will decide next week whether to approve officers' recommendations to take the cash - which had been set aside for youth projects and play schemes - and spend it elsewhere.

Labour Councillor George Dunning said: "The previous Labour administration had set aside 1.67m to spend on provisions for children and young people.

"The officers are suggesting that £500,000 should be spent on other projects instead and, although I have concerns about two of them, most are useful, such as putting £10,000 into Redcar clock and £170,000 over three years into Eston cemetery wall.

"But to take the money for these schemes out of youth projects, especially with all the anti-social behaviour going on at the moment, seems wrong.

"I really hope the cabinet will not go along with the council officers' recommendations," he said.

Councillor Dave Fitzpatrick, member for culture, leisure and tourism, said: "We are already spending well over a million on children and young people. Labour had set aside money for youth shelters but we think they're an unknown quantity and want to experiment by putting in just one or two shelters to start with.

"My personal opinion is that we should get children involved rather than just give them somewhere to hang out. There is also the idea of creating cyber cafes for young people but I fear they may become cider cafes instead."

When asked if the £500,000 was coming solely from the money that would have been spent on youth shelters Mr Fitzpatrick said: "No, not all of it."

He said: "We have been left with a budget which was set by Labour and we have got to look at the whole budget holistically. We need to look at a number of issues regarding the budget set by Labour."