Yorkshire mothers in fight to keep 'invaluable' children’s centre open

Parents say moving Hessle Children’s Centre to a library, which has no public toilets or baby changing facility, makes no sense.

It follows a decision last month by East Riding Council’s Cabinet to close centres in Beeford, Hedon, Howden and Hessle and reprovide them in schools, libraries, and church halls.

Mother-of-three Lauren Foster said parents only found out about the final decision on Friday.

They have formed a campaign group Mums Against Hessle Childrens Centre Closing, set up a petition on Change.org, and will be protesting outside the centre on The Hourne this morning.

Ms Foster said the centre was well used and had "made all the difference” during a difficult start to breastfeeding her youngest son Noah: “We're not fighting to keep a building open for the sake of it.

"We're fighting to protect a lifeline for local families.

"I know first-hand the difference this centre has made to our lives, and it's heart-breaking to think that other mums and babies could be denied that same support in the future. These services should be protected and invested in, not taken away.”

Bridie Megan, who attends the centre with her son Isaac, said she too would have struggled without it. She said: “Replacing a private, safe and community based resource with a library which has no public bathroom, changing area, kitchen or private rooms will be detrimental to current and future families.”

The report to Cabinet said there was a forecasted overspend of £900,000 in children's services.

Closing the four centres would save an estimated £71,000 a year.

However the council’s section 151 officer Paul Simpson warned in the report that there needed to be a “degree of caution” over the estimated savings. He wasn't sure whether in Hessle’s case they could exit a lease with the academy school.

The move followed an eight-week consultation, with the proposals going through the council’s scrutiny process.

Councillor David Nolan will be raising the issue at full council tomorrow. He said the consultation “now appears to have been a whitewash”. “I am hearing the mums were strongly opposed to the closure of the children’s centre and that was not communicated to councillors,” he added.

The council says Pocklington has trialled a community model for over a year and there’s been a significant increase in the number of families attending.

Cabinet member Coun Victoria Aitken said: “This has not been a sudden decision. I personally arranged briefings with ward councillors affected by the changes so they could discuss the proposals and raise any concerns.

"The proposals were welcomed and supported, including the opportunities that moving services into more accessible community locations could bring.

“The proposals then went through the council’s scrutiny process before receiving Cabinet approval. “For me, this has always been about the families we serve. We are not here to support buildings for the sake of buildings.

"We are here to support children and families with good, accessible services in the heart of their communities.