Parents vow to fight for axed kids’ centres
FUNDING CUTS SEE SIX CENTRES TO CLOSE AND FOUR TO BECOME ‘FAMILY HUBS’
DETERMINED parents have pledged to carry on their crusade for more funding for early years services despite controversial cuts being made to children’s centres across Nuneaton and Bedworth.
A last-minute attempt to save the plight of cherished centres across the county, including Abbey, Bedworth Heath, Bulkington, Ladybrook, Park Lane and Rainbow, failed.
Now, the centres are set to be closed and Camp Hill, St Michael’s in Bedworth, Stockingford and Riversley Park children’s centres will become ‘family hubs.’
But members of the ‘Save Our Children’s which was launched Centres’ by campaign, protesting parents in Nuneaton, have said that they will continue their mission to make sure that children get the services they need.
Jess Tomlinson, who helped champion the campaign, said: “Our next steps are making sure the council follows through with their promise to set up an advisory board in each area. Families can have a say on what services we get that way.
“We will continue to fight for change and more funding for early years services. Warwickshire ranks terribly in social mobility and children’s centres were helping to combat that so regardless of what services we are left with we always fight for equality and a better future for all of Warwickshire’s children.”
It was the opposing Labour group at Warwickshire County Council who called for the special meeting in a bid to try and reverse the cuts.
Councillor Richard Chattaway, leader of the Labour group, said: “I am quite surprised by some of the comments made by some of the Conservative party members. They (the Tories) had an opportunity to do something about the cuts but they didn’t.”
He concluded: “We will not let this go, things have changed since the last budget, there has been a comprehensive consultation undertaken,
We will, in our February budget, put in funding to keep all children’s centres open because it is vitally important that children in Warwickshire get the best start in life.”
Coun Chattaway accused the Tories of ‘playing politics’ with the issue, adding: “I told my members we are not playing politics with this, it is too important for the children of Warwickshire
But Coun Jeff Morgan, cabinet member for children’s services at Shire Hall, accused Labour councillors of ‘grandstanding.’
He said that the special council meeting called by Labour brought even more costs to the council tax payer.
“The paper that went to cabinet proposed that the county should transform some of its existing children’s centres into 14 children and family centres, offering a wider range of services for families around Warwickshire, plus 16 existing children’s centres which would be used to provide outreach services.
That would leave 11 centres no longer designated as children’s centres. We have received expressions of interest from third parties such as schools for some of these for early years’ related services.”
He said that at the council’s meeting in February, it agreed its three-year Corporate Plan which contained a savings element from the 0-5 budget of £1.12m from April 2018. This represents a 23 per cent savings – which was supported by Labour.
“It is hypocritical for them now to be campaigning against “the cuts” which they themselves voted for,” he added.
“Residents of Warwickshire might wish to reflect on a situation in which we Conservatives are trying to get maximum value out of your hard-earned council tax, whereas Labour are grandstanding, pretending they are fighting a crusade against a decision they originally supported.”