A local authority is spending as much as £11,000 a week per child on out-of-area social care placements.

Medway Council head Alan Jarrett said the authority is facing serious challenges within foster care.

He told councillors this was part of the reason why the council is taking legal action against the government after it was asked to take on more Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (UASCs).

The Tory leader told the Local Democracy Reporting Service earlier this year his authority would not be taking on any more UASC after defying a government direction.

The council was then granted permission to seek a judicial review against the Home Office after it was asked to take on an extra 45 children, with other councils also being asked to take a quota of children.

Judicial reviews can take place when the lawfulness of a public authority is challenged.

Speaking at a meeting of the council's business support overview and scrutiny committee yesterday (Thursday, October 20), Cllr Jarrett said the issues around children's social care are also being compounded by a national shortage in social workers.

A recent report to cabinet members on the council's finances said costs of residential and independent fostering agency placements are running between five and 15% more than budgeted.

In February, the council set a budget of £32.7 million for accommodating children in care.

The recent financial outlook presented to councillors said taking into account increase in demand for placements and the increased costs, a further £10.3 million would be needed when next year's budget is set.

Cllr Jarrett said: "All local authorities are being held ransom by the market, with various reasons for that.

"Out-of-area placements are hugely expensive for us."

He said the decision to refuse the government's direction on taking on more UASC was based on the authority's reliance on out-of-area placements, adding how the government sent a list of named children for the authority to take but was stopped when the council sought legal action.

'Out-of-area placements are hugely expensive for us'

He added: "We will do what's best for Medway. It's self-evident that if we are sending our children out of the area, to expensive out-of-area placements – we had one the week before last, £11,000 a week – those sort of numbers are not sustainable for us.

"So the only response was to seek leave for a judicial review.

"That is likely to be in the New Year now and I am absolutely delighted about that because that will allow us to do the best for the children that we have here, and to work hard to minimise the amount of out-of-area placements.

"I'm absolutely determined and it's absolutely clear in my mind that we are doing the right thing for the children that we have here, and are likely to have here, and we don't need the government bullying us into doing something differently."