BASILDON Council has carried out its plans to relocate the controversial Felmores bail hostel.

The policy and resources committee approved a funding of £50,000 in July for council officers to carry out research to look for an alternative site for the hostel.

The placing of the bail hostel, close to Northlands Park Primary School, Felmores Primary School and Briscoe Primary School and Nursery, as well as Northlands Park, has been a heated topic for many years.

The council has already spent £2,500 in August hiring surveyors to undertake site reviews. However, many of the sites listed were not regarded as large enough or were not suitable locations.

In last Thursday’s policy and resources committee meeting, Tory councillors proposed to move the unspent funds to local community projects instead. They argued the council does not have authority to relocate the hostel.

However, the committee voted down the proposal.

Councillor Gavin Callaghan, chairman of the policy and resources committee, has long pushed for the relocation of the bail hostel.

He said: “We approved a funding of £50,000 to search for a new premises for the hostel where there are high-risk criminals.

“We’ve taken a lot of criticism about it, the Conservatives don’t see it as a priority so they tried to vote it down.

“The hostel has become very dangerous, and it’s located near a primary school, in one of the poorest parts of Basildon and my priorities are to address residents’ concerns.

“The administration and I are committed to moving the bail hostel to a more suitable location.

“We have a vested interest in the area and we have a duty with the Ministry of Justice.”

Councillor Linda Allport-Hodge, vice-chairman of the committee, said: “We’ve engaged with our regeneration services to find more suitable site for the bail hostel.

“We are keen to get the hostel moved. Our officers are working very hard on this.

“It’s ludicrous to have a bail hostel for high risk offenders placed in the middle of a residential estate.”

Councillor David Dadds, Conservative councillor representing Billericay East, said: “We proposed £47,500 should be put back into local community projects. We argued the council doesn’t have remit or responsibility to move the bail hostel.

“It’s all political shenanigans by councillor Callaghan to show his constituency he is doing something about it. It’s all just to get re-elected. I want to point out that it will cost up to £3million to rebuild a hostel, the bail hostel is the responsibility of the Ministry of Justice and they have said operationally they have no intention of moving it.”