Wiltshire Council: Children's centre closures proposed

Children's centres help families with parenting support, health and social care issues

Half of Wiltshire's 30 children's centres are likely to close next July in a bid to save £400,000 a year.

A public consultation has opened on the plan, which proposes more parenting classes held in local halls and extra health visitor home visits.

Wiltshire Council cabinet member Laura Mayes, said 15 would remain untouched because they were in "densely populated areas where they are being well-used".

The centres were created between 2006 and 2011 under the Labour government.

'Nowhere private'

Children's centres run classes on parenting skills, nutrition and health.

Conservative Ms Mayes said: "Let's not have our money tied up in expensive buildings, let's use that money to get the staff to go out to families where the help is needed."

The council has said all its children's centres were delivered by four voluntary and community sector organisations but all the contracts were due to end next June.

The authority hopes to carry out the consultation before talks to re-tender services.

In Swindon, the borough council closed seven of its 12 centres in the past year due to budget cuts.

Hayley Jackson regularly used her local centre in Swindon before it closed last year.

She said: "The children's centres are really useful in that, if you're going to those groups already, you're used to those surroundings, you're used to people who work there, so if you've got a problem you're able to talk to somebody about it.

She said staff at the centres were potentially well-placed to spot issues parents were struggling with, such as domestic violence or post-natal depression.

"The health clinic is now in a sports hall, there's nowhere private to talk to health visitors so if you have got a problem you're going to feel embarrassed about talking openly about it in front of other parents," Ms Jackson said.