A SCHEME to help young homeless people in Teesdale could still get council backing.

The Durham Accommodation Resource Team (Dart) was told by Teesdale District Council in March that it would not receive funding this year.

The organisation, which runs the Dart in the Dales scheme, warned that it might have to withdraw the project if it could not find an alternative source of funding.

At a meeting of the council's community services committee yesterday, members voted to back the scheme after all.

Their change of heart was prompted by the fact that the authority would not be meeting its statutory requirements to support young people.

The authority would also have to justify its reasons for refusing the application for funding to the Department for the Environment, Transport and the Regions.

Richard Hall, of the council's housing department, said that as part of a three-year £110,000 project, the council's £6,000 pledge would be a huge help to homeless people in the dale.

Councillor Phil Hughes said: "I was not at the earlier meeting and I'm a little surprised members decided to refuse it.

"I'm a little concerned that having taken a decision, a month later it has been brought back to us."

The committee agreed that the issue should go to the full council with the recommendation that the £6,000 funding bid should be approved.