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Council set to close Pateley Bridge children’s centre

Friday, 16 June 2023 10:00

Councillors will meet on Tuesday where they are expected to rubber-stamp the closure of a children’s centre in Pateley Bridge.

Council set to close Pateley Bridge children’s centre Councillors will meet on Tuesday where they are expected to rubber-stamp the closure of a children’s centre in Patelely Bridge. The Nidderdale Children’s Centre, based at St Cuthbert’s primary school in the town, is one of five Sure Start centres across North Yorkshire that the council is recommending closing following a public consultation held over spring. The centre opened in opened September 2010 and was backed by £590,715 of taxpayers’ money but it did not reopen after the pandemic. The council estimates it will save £13,400 a year in running costs by closing the building. The other children’s centres set to close are in South Craven, Kirkbymoorside, Eastfield and Wensleydale. The proposal to close the Nidderdale centre garnered just one response in the consultation with the sole respondent saying there was a lack of similar facilities within the area and the centre should be retained for children and family groups. However, the council has argued it would not be financially viable to reopen the building. As well as the cost savings, the council has argued that fewer buildings are needed due to some of the work moving online. According to the report, the proposal will also help the council reduce its carbon footprint as it looks to slash emissions across its vast estate. The report notes there are discussions about allowing St Cuthbert’s school to use the building with an agreement that the premises would be used for direct work with children attending the school. Stuart Carlton, corporate director – children and young people’s service, said:

“Over the last two years, during and following the pandemic, Early Help redesigned the delivery of activities to support children and their families moving to a blended approach of virtual and face to face activities. “This has enabled the delivery of countywide virtual activities which families can access from their home, reducing the need for the same number of buildings. “This has removed any impact on protected characteristics as the model has created greater access to the service.”
What is Sure Start? Sure Start was a flagship policy of Tony Blair’s Labour government and was launched to improve children’s life chances, with local authority-controlled centres set up to support early learning for children under five. However, since the Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government and the introduction of austerity measures, more than 1,000 Sure Start centres have closed. Between 2014 and 2016, North Yorkshire County Council closed 13 children’s centres with a total Sure Start government investment of £3,643,140, which it was not required to pay back. By Thomas Barrett, Local Democracy Reporter Read more local stories from Your Harrogate here.

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