Last October, the council put out plans for consultation to close 11 of its 85 children’s centres. It also proposed moving to a ‘Main site and Designated delivery site’ model in a bid to make savings of £2.5m between 2014 and 2016.
All 85 of the county’s children’s centres are managed by the charities 4Children, Barnardos and Spurgeons.
While Essex County Council claims it is closing just three children’s centres, minutes from a cabinet meeting show that seven others will be de-registered and turned into ‘outreach venues’.
Holland Valley Children’s Centre in Clacton (North-East Essex), Little Buddies Children’s Centre in Buckhurst Hill (West Essex) and Little Treehouse Children’s Centre in Benfleet will close.
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