By Don Mort, local democracy reporter
The closure of 18 children’s centres is set to go ahead following a failed bid to have the decision re-considered.
Opposition councillors challenged a plan to reduce the number of Leeds City Council-run centres to 31 under plans to save £2.45m.
The Labour-run authority pointed out that Leeds would still have more children’s centres than cities of a similar size.
But questions were raised over the evidence used to justify the closures, set out in a report to the council’s executive board in October.
Councillor Mark Dobson, of Garforth and Swillington Independents, led a “call-in” of the closure decision which could have seen it referred for re-consideration.
He claimed there were flaws in the consultation process and it was not clear how the cost savings would be achieved.
Coun Dobson told a scrutiny board meeting: “I also believe we are under-estimating the use of the centres.”
Helen Hayden, Labour’s executive member for children and families, said family services would be retained in more suitable locations.
Coun Hayden said: “Our children’s centre offer matters deeply to families across Leeds.
“The consultation was robust, thorough and objective.”
Council leaders said some of the centres were underused because of a falling birth rate.
Coun Hayden said: “Savings will come from reduced duplication, management and overheads, not from cutting support available to families.”
Leeds City Council must save more than £100m this financial year and was forecasting an overspend of almost £30m in last month’s financial report.
Children’s centres facing closure in West Leeds include Burley Park, Farnley, Farsley and Calverley, and Pudsey.
Historic centres in Hollybush and Kirkstall – where services are not currently provided – would also be among a further six across the city to be de-registered.
The council would continue to provide centralised services at 31 children’s centres to maintain a universal and citywide offer of support for families. In West Leeds these would be at Armley Moor, Bramley, Little London, Horsforth, Swinnow and Hawksworth Wood.
As part of the shake-up, the remaining 31 children centres would be organised into seven groups, aligned with the council’s Family Hubs around the city. More services will be provided online.
After a debate by the council’s Children and Families scrutiny board, Coun Dobson said he still believed the closures were “pointless”.
He said: “All I would ask colleagues to consider is where are the actual savings?”
In a majority vote, board members released the closure decision for implementation at Tuesday’s Civic Hall meeting.
The centres set to close across Leeds are: Cottingley, Farnley, Gildersome, Ardsley/Tingley, Villages East, Castleton, Quarry Mount, Burley Park, Headingley, Pudsey, Farsley and Calverley, Parklands, Garforth, Boston Spa, Alwoodley, Roundhay, Chapel Allerton, Manor Wood.
- WLD’s Cutswatch series of articles is capturing the impact of local and national cuts on communities.
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Clearly the Labour party hates families having high quality local nursery access in areas outside of the Leeds Inner City Centre.
Shame. The closure of these facilities in other Cities tends to increase negative health outcomes and post matrum depression.
But what’s a few very poorly babies and suicidal new mothers next to Labour Party Cuts/Austerity?
Haven’t you heard the Tories did the same thing, and they are slated for it, yet when labour does austerity, it’s “good”? Or so stupid labour voters keep telling me. It’s a joke.
Nationally Kier Starmer’s Labour ave kneecapped local council budgets.
Only thing that’s good government in West Yorkshire is our Devolved Mayor, and she’s good because she isn’t labour, she’s in the Co-Optionaln Party.
Normally London labour just takes more taxes from Leeds, to spend it on subsidizing the London Underground;
Meanwhile Leeds Mothers can’t even get a decent nursery in their local area.
Makes one almost think of how a violent Yorkshire Revolutionary war of independence could come about…why do you all send your taxes to London, instead of kept in Yorkshire?