Early Help service call-in rejected

A redesign of West Sussex County Council’s Early Help service will proceed after a call-in of last month’s decision by opposition groups was rejected.

Cabinet members last month agreed to remove the services from all but 12 children and family centres across the county.

While the Conservativeled council said the changes aimed to make more effective use of its resources and the support given to the county’s most vulnerable families, the proposals have proved unpopular.

The majority of consultation respondents opposed them and a petition opposing cuts to children and family centres topped 10,000 online signatures.

The Labour group launched a bid to call-in the decision, backed by Lib Dem councillors, but this has now been rejected by the monitoring officer, who felt the proposals and supporting information had already been fully examined on two occasions by the relevant scrutiny committee.

Caroline Baxter, deputy leader of the Labour group at County Hall, said last week: “The overwhelming majority of people who responded to the consultation didn’t want their centres to close.

“To then have one of the biggest responses ever to a consultation and then ignore all those people who responded shows the disdain this Conservative administration at the county council has for its residents.”

Jacquie Russell, cabinet member for children and young people, said: “The county council is absolutely committed to providing an Early Help service that is wholly focused on improving our support to the children and families who need our help the most and doing so in the way that best meets their needs.

“I would like to reiterate our thanks to everyone who took part in the ten-week public consultation on our Early Help service.

“Significant changes have been made in response to the feedback received which we consider will further enhance what we now plan to deliver.

“I hope we will all be able to work together to focus on the help needed by all of the children and families in West Sussex.”

The redesign will now be implemented.

What do you think of the decision? Send us your thoughts to ws.letters@ jpimedia.co.uk – or write to us via the postal address on page 8.