After decades of opposition, Aldridge bail hostel set to be moved

A bail hostel in a leafy neighbourhood looks set to be moved after calls from residents and campaigners. Work is going on to find a new site in the borough for the hostel which is now in Stonnall Road, in Aldridge.

The controversial hostel, which can house up to 12 offenders released from prison on licence, has been the subject of a long-running campaign to force it to close since the 1980s. The last staged protest was in May 2009, when 100 people gathered outside with banners.

Councillors are continuing to question the need for the hostel - officially called an "approved premises" - to be in Stonnall Road, a location they say is inappropriate due to the schools and the large number of families living nearby.