Pen Green goes into battle over children's centre cuts

Staff from the setting were informed last week by the Northamptonshire Schools Forum that a decision on the cuts has been deferred until July and that no cuts will be made to the setting's budget for the next financial year.

Pen Green held a symposium called Children's Centres in Crisis, at the beginning of March. At the event, it was agreed that a national campaign, called Say No to Children's Centre Cuts, should be launched.

Dr Margy Whalley, director of the Pen Green Centre, said, 'We found out last Tuesday that a decision on the cuts has been deferred until July. We are pleased, but we have to go on battling. However, for now it is business as usual and we are actually planning to expand this year by opening a new nursery class and a second baby nest.'

Ms Whalley said there had been an excellent turnout at the symposium and that around 100 local authorities were represented.

She added, 'The saddest thing for me was how local authority officers said that they had been told not to come and the level of fear from within the settings about demonstrating against the cuts.'

Joanne Armstrong, a parent governor at Pen Green, said, 'We have campaigned against proposed cuts here, and now we need to bring the nation's attention to children's centre cuts which will hit the poorest in our communities all over the country. We need to mobilise and campaign together.'

A website has been launched offering advice for people who want to start local campaigns and a pack has been put together which includes a checklist for and advice on obtaining information on proposed funding cuts. The campaigners plan to e-mail every children's centre in England to introduce the campaign and ask them to seek volunteers to help fight against the cuts.

The website http://sayno2ccc.moonfruit.com also features a national petition which is to be presented to Government.