SANDWELL Council’s plan to pay experts to help run its under-fire children’s department has been met with scorn.

The council is advertising for an organisation to supply an interim director of children’s services to replace departing chief Barbara Peacock and improve the service.

Chief executive Jan Britton said: “We have turned a corner and the improving status of our children's services has been recognised in the recent Ofsted inspection.

“This new contract is the next step to give us the extra boost we need to reach our goal.”

He added: “The contract will bring a wider package of experience and expertise to bear than we could by simply recruiting a new director of children’s services as a council employee.”

However, Langley Independent Socialist councillor Mick Davies, who is also a manager of two Sure Start children’s centres, chastised the plan claiming the council were washing their hands of years of problems in the department and bringing in a private company for three years would help them evade questions.

He said: “These are ill thought out plans by the council to rid itself of the problems of it’s children’s services.

“No politician as been held to account for the failures in children’s services for the last 10 years or so and the outsourcing of the service means they never will.”

He added: “What they mean to say is ‘we have turned a corner and the improving status to the lofty heights of adequate means we can get rid of it whilst we are winning, well no one would have took it off us would they?’”

He said: “This new contract is the next step in protecting members from awkward questions and yet another example of the politbureau style politics of the current leadership.”

The contract is likely to start by the end of the year and the council claim it will be paid for by savings in cutting management costs.

Details of the tender are available at www.sandwell.gov.uk/childrensfutures.