Still Time to Have Your Say on Proposed Children’s Centre Closures
Families still have time to give their views on proposals to close up to 32 children’s centres as the council try to deal with the biggest budget cuts in their history.
By 2020, the funding the council get from central government is expected to be more than a third less than in 2010.
Despite selling off land and buildings, reducing back office costs and cutting the number of senior managers, the extent of the cuts means they must consider scaling back most of their services.
A consultation on proposals to change the way services are offered to families to try to save £4.3m ends on Monday 4 April 2016.
Services provided at children’s centres include early education and childcare, health services and parenting and family support.
Although 32 centres could be closed, the review would also look at how some of these services could continue to be offered more effectively in the local community by working with health, schools and voluntary organisations.
Under the proposals, 19 children’s centres in some of the county’s most deprived areas would remain open. Alternative uses would be sought for some of the buildings, including expanding our offer of funded nursery places for the three and four-year-olds of working parents.
If the proposals went ahead it could result in the loss of up to 116 full time equivalent staff.
Centres being consulted on for possible closure are:
Crich
Belper
Blackwell
Whaley Thorns
Arkwright
Dronfield
Clowne
Bakewell
Chapel en le Frith
Harpur Hill
Wirksworth
Coton in the Elms
Etwall
Long Eaton (rural)
Sandiacre
West Hallam
Somercotes
Chesterfield town centre (Queens Park)
Brimington
Newhall
Stonebroom
South Normanton
Ripley
Hasland
Brampton
Clay Cross
Tupton
New Mill
Killamarsh
Kirk Hallam
Eckington
Gamesley
Councillor Jim Coyle, the Cabinet Member for Children’s services, said: “We have had almost 900 responses to our consultation so far and I’d like to thank people for taking part…There’s still time for Derbyshire families to have a say in how services are run for them as the consultation continues until Monday 4 April.” He continued, “We will make every effort to ensure that those families most in need receive services and will work with the voluntary sector to provide others.”
Under the proposals, 19 children’s centres would remain open.
These are:
Staveley
Cotmanhay
Birdholme
Bolsover
Shirebrook
Holme Hall
North Wingfield
Matlock
Ironville
Langley Mill
Long Eaton (urban)
Woodville, Fairfield
Alfreton
Heanor
Glossop
Hadfield
Creswell
Old Whittington.
Services at Kirk Hallam Children’s Centre would re-locate to Charnos Family Support Centre and staff from Newhall and Sandiacre would be retained to offer services from nearby centres.
Once the consultation has ended all the responses will be looked at and a report will be considered by cabinet in the summer.
Take part in the children’s centre consultation (opens in a new window).
Alternatively you can visit any Derbyshire library to use a computer for free or ring Call Derbyshire on tel: 01629 533365
Very good that this article makes it clear that Councils are now desperately short of the resources needed to maintain their commitment to priority services – even those for children. Conservative County Councillor reports to our Town Council, as I have witnessed, complain about unpopular cuts to services by Labour without any acknowledgement of who is really to blame for this. Indeed, as we learned recently, the PM is so out of touch with what is being inflicted on local government by his own Chancellor that he wrote to his local Council Leader in Oxfordshire – to complain about cuts to front line services!
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/nov/11/david-cameron-letter-cuts-oxfordshire
and his own mother complained about the closure of the Children’s Centre where she volunteered !!! You could not make this stuff up.