Bolsover: Council considers future of children's centre

Bolsover Children's Centre is based at the Adult Community Education Centre

A children's centre in Derbyshire could be closed as the county council seeks to save millions from its budget.

The Bolsover centre has come under scrutiny because it is underused and there were alternatives nearby, the Conservative-run authority said.

It is seeking to save £3.9m from its children's and early help services as part of plans to cut an overall £39m deficit for this financial year.

Officials added there were no longer the resources to run 25 such centres.

Consultation criticised

The council's early help teams and children's centres deliver a range of services including health visitors, speech and language development, healthy eating, parenting, school readiness, family support, parenting groups, and improvements for family relationships.

But rising demands and surging costs meant the sector was forecast to overspend by around £17.9m, said the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

With this in mind the council held a recent consultation on how best to deliver the services.

Labour group leader Joan Dixon requested an explanation for the potential earmarked closure of the Castle Street centre at a full council meeting on March 27.

Julie Patten, cabinet member for children and families, responded by saying: "Bolsover Children's Centre is not used to the same extent as other centres in the locality.

"The service can be delivered in other centres nearby."

A council spokesperson said: "Following a public consultation into early help and children's centres, the council is now analysing the feedback and will bring a report back to cabinet in the coming weeks for consideration."

The authority has also confirmed it was looking at the "most efficient" use of disabled residential services in one of its separate children's homes called The Getaway - which provides residential short breaks or care to disabled children.

Additionally it has insisted it remains committed to supporting people with learning difficulties and autism despite plans to consider stopping a number of day opportunity and short break support services.

The council's cabinet will decide at a meeting on 11 April whether to hold a public consultation on plans to redesign how the authority provides these services.