All eighteen children's centres in North Yorkshire to close, council announces

Controversial plans to close all eighteen children’s centres across North Yorkshire have been approved.

The children and family hubs, which are located in towns and villages across the county, will all be de-registered - meaning North Yorkshire Council can use the buildings housing them for different purposes.

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Council staff said the move will allow “greater flexibility in the future use of the buildings so that they can best meet the needs of the local community,” after its executive approved the closures earlier this week.

Many of the 18 children centres began life under the Sure Start scheme, which was a flagship policy of the 1990s Labour government.

A four week consultation on the closures saw 54 per cent of people say they approved of the de-registration, with 34 per cent opposed.

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According to the council consultation, options for the buildings might include fitness studios and gyms, start-up offices, or community services for adults.

While most are in towns including Skipton, Settle, Northallerton and Malton, there are two in Catterick Garrison serving military families and several in villages including Brotherton and Sherburn-in Elmet.

Many of the council’s children and family services moved online during the pandemic and have never returned to face-to-face, leading to less frequent usage of the centres, the council said.

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But a health watchdog has spoken of its concerns for vulnerable families and those living rurally once the centres have closed.

A spokesperson for Healthwatch North Yorkshire said: “Whilst we understand the intent to better utilise public resources, and particularly in this challenging financial climate, we also recognise that these changes will impact many families and children who used these sites.

“We are concerned about the potential effects on, for example vulnerable families, who have relied on these centres for in-person support.

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“We understand the council’s new dual approach of providing face to face and online services, but feel that having less face to face opportunities may not meet the needs of all families, as we found in our recent report into mothers’ experiences of postnatal community care, where mothers had asked for more face to face support.

“In-person access is particularly important for those families with limited access to technology and for these living rurally.

“We would encourage North Yorkshire Council to ensure the continuation of face-to-face support, especially for rural and disadvantaged families, and involve local people in decisions about how and where these services take place.”

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The council’s executive member for children and families, Coin Janet Sanderson, said: “By approving the recommendation to deregister 18 centres, it ensures that children’s services continue to operate in the same areas as they currently do. However, the approach is about better use of existing buildings in the community for the benefit of all.”

The authority’s assistant director for children and families, Mel Hutchinson, added: “Our aim is to unlock the full potential of our children’s centres by deregistering their status to be utilised by the community or charities, thereby benefiting young people and the wider community in a holistic way.”