By Don Mort, local democracy reporter
Additional reporting: John Baron
Eighteen children’s centres are set to close after councillors decided to press ahead with a shake-up of family services.
Leeds City Council proposed to reduce the number of centres it runs to 31 as part of plans to save £2.45m.
The Labour-run council, which needs to save more than £100m this financial year, said some of the centres were underused because of a falling birth rate.
Members of the executive board agreed to proceed with the planned re-organisation at a meeting on Wednesday.
Children’s centres facing closure in West Leeds include Burley Park, Farnley, Farsley 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.
Helen Hayden, executive member for children and families, said it would make services more accessible and efficient.
She said: “It reflects the significant demographic change since the current network was established.”
Alan Lamb, leader of the city’s Conservative group, asked Labour members not to proceed with the move.
He said: “Let’s call this what it is. It’s a cut in services to save money, dressed up as something else. I absolutely cannot support this today.”
The council said the shake-up was based on a detailed assessment of families’ needs.
But Cllr Lamb challenged the evidence used to justify closing the centres, which provide services including breast feeding support and employment advice.
He said: “The way you are doing it and going about it is all wrong and the evidence base is inaccurate.”
The children’s centres review includes plans to de-register six centres not currently in use, and provide more online services.
The council said Leeds would still have more chldren’s centres than other cities of a similar size.
The authority’s latest financial report shows the council is already facing an overspend of almost £30m this year.
A council report said the needs of families had been prioritised, despite the funding shortfall.
It said: “Leeds continues to have the largest number of children’s centres of any core city.”
Yesterday Cllr Andrew Carter (Calverley and Farsley Ward) told WLD that proposals by Leeds City Council to close children’s centres, one of which is the children’s centre at Farsley Farfield School, were “not acceptable”.
Cllr Carter said: “They can’t even get their facts right. The children’s centre at Farsley Farfield School is staffed and open for longer than they are saying. Where on earth are the children supposed to go? They are suggesting Swinnow, a quite ridiculous distance away. It is not acceptable and another example of asset stripping. The council must think again.”
WLD first reported back in February that the council was carrying out a review into the future of children’s centres across Leeds.
The proposed changes are to these services and not to any Little Owls nusery provision which might be located on the same site.
- To view the report considered by the executive board visit Council and democracy (agenda item nine).
WLD is following ongoing council cuts, closures, building sales and reaction in our Cutswatch series of articles.
Sponsored content
