Councillors have backed plans to use the former Flag Lane Baths site as a school for excluded pupils, but some fear demolition costs might become a 'money pit' for the council.

The original proposal by the Always Ahead charity to transform the Crewe building into a community hub was abandoned earlier this year, because costs had spiralled.

The proposed new alternative provision school will be funded and delivered by the Department for Education (DfE).

The cost of bulldozing the Flag Lane site and keeping the historic façade, estimated to be around £1.35m, will be borne by Cheshire East (Ryan Parker).

But, the cost of bulldozing the site and keeping the historic façade, estimated to be around £1.35m, will be borne by the council.

On Monday 11 November, the children and families committee was also asked to approve the inclusion of £500,000 in the capital programme to indemnify up to that amount to any free school 'abnormal site development' costs.

And while members said they welcomed the idea of the new school, it was the funding which raised concerns for some.

Cllr Liz Wardlaw (Odd Rode, Conservative), said: "This is what scares me. This is a historical effort to utilise this site to be an effective part of the Crewe re-development and historically we know it's an expensive project.

"Retaining the façade is one of the big expensive parts of it. My concern is, is it a money pit for Cheshire East Council?"

Cllr Liz Wardlaw (Odd Rode, Conservative) (CEC).

There was also confusion over where the £1.35m was coming from, because the report saiid it had been re-allocated from the Crewe Youth Zone scheme.

Eventually it was explained the youth project will not lose out as the same amount has been transferred to that scheme from the now defunct community hub project, which was being partly funded by the Towns Fund grant.

Cheshire East has just one registered alternative provision school and that is in Macclesfield.

In March of this year, the DfE confirmed that the Youth Engagement Schools (YES) Trust had been successful in bidding for a new free alternative provision school which would provide for up to 70 places.

It was initially intended the new school would be co-located on the site of an existing secondary school in Crewe, but this was not viable and the former swimming baths, which closed in 2016, was identified as an alternative site.

Eight councillors voted in favour of the site being used for a new school, two voted against and one abstained (Ryan Parker).

Sally Ashworth, interim head of service for education participation and pupil support, told the committee: "We've seen heightened numbers of exclusion in the Crewe patch, so it is very much needed."

Eight councillors voted in favour of the site being used for a new school, two voted against and one abstained.