Reforms set out in the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill, currently going through parliament, will give children remanded to custody additional rights and will also make councils responsible for the cost of remands.
A letter from David Simmonds, chair of the LGA Children and Young People Board, to youth justice minister Crispin Blunt, seen by CYP Now, raises a series of concerns about the changes, citing cost and bureaucracy as key issues.
"We agree in principle that some of these [remanded] children will be vulnerable and should be effectively supported," the letter, dated 1 September, states.
"However, automatically giving all young people on remand full looked-after status is not likely to be a proportionate way of achieving this.
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