A DARWEN boy's residential place at a special school for children with severe language disorders was put under threat when council chiefs raised his fees by £37,000.

James Franklin, 10, was bullied while at school in Darwen, and his parents said going to the Ewing School in Manchester had "worked wonders" for him.

But his place as a weekday boarder was put in doubt when Manchester City Council raised fees from £22,000 to £59,000 a year.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.