ALCESTER children, along with youngsters across the county, could lose out on vital services due to massive hikes in legal fees.

Warwickshire County Council has slammed the Government over a 400 per cent increase in the cost of hearings seeking orders to take children into care.

From this month, for every 28 days an application is lodged with the court while the case goes through the legal process, the county council will have to pay £150 instead of £30. And based on the current workload, it is estimated this will take up to £100,000 a year out of the budget available for helping children at risk.

Out of a £28 million budget for Children's Social Services, £1.2 million already goes on legal fees and Warwickshire County Council recently passed a resolution condemning the increases introduced by the Department for Constitutional Affairs.

Councillor Izzi Seccombe, cabinet member for children's services, said the two-month consultation period only included judges, court clerks and solicitors and not those who paid the bills, and those who would be hit the most such as local authorities.

"We do not have an unlimited pot of money. If money goes from our budget then we will have to make savings somewhere else," she said.

She said the average cost of cases had already doubled since new protocols were introduced in 2004 as a result of the Children Act.

"All this money is going into the legal system, none of it is going towards benefiting children," she added.

"We will not abandon these children, even though the legal system seems to be doing so, but at some point it will lead to difficult decisions about the use of the council's resources."