Aycliffe Secure Services gets £7m funding to be rebuilt

Jun 1 2009 by Neil McKay, The Journal

A SECURE children’s home in the North which has housed some of Britain’s most notorious child killers is to be rebuilt.

Aycliffe Secure Services, run by Durham County Council, is to receive nearly £7m in Government funding to enable the centre to be completely rebuilt.

Both Robert Thompson and Jon Venables, who murdered toddler James Bulger in Liverpool in 1993, spent some time in custody at the centre.

Newcastle child murderer Mary Bell, who killed two young boys when aged 11, was also held in Aycliffe during the 1970s.

News of the funding followed confirmation from the Youth Justice Board that it is renewing its contract with the county council to provide secure services for young people at the Newton Aycliffe site until 2016.

Members of Durham County Council’s Cabinet gave the go ahead to the proposals to rebuild the centre, with work expected to start next year and be completed by 2011.

The total cost of the rebuild will be approximately £12m. More than half of this will be covered by the Government funding while the remainder will be funded by income generated by the centre itself.

The secure children’s home at Newton Aycliffe looks after young people aged between 11 and 17, many of whom have committed criminal offences and have been sent there following court proceedings against them.

On average young people stay at the home for around eight weeks but the length of a person’s stay can vary from a few days up to two years.

While they are there, young people are given help and support to address issues such as substance misuse, mental health problems and self harm.