More than £1.2m is being cut by Oldham council from its early intervention services, including £900,000 from Sure Start children's centres.The local authority is also set to withdraw £700,000 from its community health services for health-related family support and £272,000 from its services for children with additional or complex needs, which include short breaks for disabled children and SEN activities.
The budget was approved at a meeting last week where the council outlined how it would save more than £40m. Oldham needs to save £23m from its 2011/12 budget and a further £15m in 2012/13. Around 800 jobs will be lost.
Hampshire County Council has approved plans to cut the number of children's centres from 81 to 53 in a bid to save £6m (News, 3 February) despite angry protests from campaigners who attended last week's cabinet meeting.
Two campaigning parents, Catherine Ovenden and Kate Reynolds, who collected thousands of signatures against the plans, were allowed into the council chambers to plead for the future of Sure Start centres.
Unison regional secretary Phil Wood said, 'Once you merge two centres, one closes. These aren't mergers. These are closures. A whole range of people will be penalised by the decisions being taken by the council.'
Blackpool council is to cut £500,000 from its Sure Start children's centres in plans to save £27m. Around 350 jobs will be lost under its proposed budget for 2011/2012.
In Manchester, around 300 people attended a demonstration on Saturday against the council's plans to cut 26 per cent of its children's services budget and outsource the running of children's centres. Parents at the demonstration said they were scared that a private or voluntary takeover of the children's centres would lead to staff cuts or increased fees.
