FRESH controversy has emerged over the sale of a former care home to developers after claims that the council lost £20,000.

The claims from the local Plaid Cymru group relate to the Bryneithin site in Dinas Powys which is currently being converted into 22 houses for people over the age of 50.

The former home for the elderly was closed in 2013 as the council deemed it unsuitable to meet modern care needs.

But now Plaid Cymru have highlighted that the cost of demolishing the building was greater than the price the land was sold for.

Plaid spokesman Richard Grigg expressed "amazement" that the total cost of the demolition of the old building was just over £136,000.

He said: "It would have been cheaper to just give the land away.

"The council taxpayers in effect lost £20,000 on the deal.

"In addition to demolition costs of £117,000 there was another £19,000 of further costs.

"We accept that there are planning costs that the developer has to fund but to actually make a loss is breath taking.

"This makes all the more surprising the willingness of the Conservatives to defend the deal.

"It is difficult to see what their motivation was in this matter."

But the Vale council has said the figure of £113,506 related to the sale of the land only and that the total value of the deal is close to £800,000 with section 106 contributions from the developer.

A council spokesman said: "The full financial value of the Bryneithin land transaction was £796,027.74.

"This included a value of £113,506 for the land and £682,521.74 as a section 106 contribution to the council.

"The section 106 contribution was included in the value of the transaction because the council was both land owner and planning authority in this instance."

A spokesman for the Vale of Glamorgan Conservatives said: "Dinas Powys Conservatives have not defended the council’s decision, but have instead raised concern that Plaid Cymru’s representation of the deal has been misleading.

"Although the site was sold for only £120,000, the Vale Council imposed financial commitments as a condition of sale to the value of nearly £800,000.

"Conservatives do not have an interest in defending the decisions of the Labour-led local authority.

"We do however, like to see local issues debated properly, on the basis of fact."