Put the children f irst

THEY own scores of failing homes. Their shortcomings have resulted in youngsters in their care being abused and raped. Their spiralling fees have contributed to a £3billion council overspend.

Yet private equity-owned children’s care providers still made millions in profit last year – all of it taxpayers’ money.

Now a watchdog has warned that such debt-laden firms could collapse and imperil this vital sector – with chilling consequences for our most vulnerable young people.

A Government-commissioned review should seriously consider whether this is suitable proprietorship.

Of course there will always be faults, whether these homes are in private or public hands. But while councils are driven by child welfare, for venture capitalists, lining their pockets always come first.

■ TO protect offenders’ human rights, woke chief constables want to scrub their records from police files after a shorter period of time. Yet such a preposterous plan will ultimately make it harder to bring villains to justice – and keep the public safe. So much for the long arm of the law. More like the soft touch of it!