These 18 Leeds children's centres will close to save £2.45m after bid to save them fails
The closure of 18 children’s centres in Leeds is set to go ahead after a failed bid to have the decision re-considered.
Opposition councillors challenged a plan to reduce the number of Leeds City Council-run centres to 31 under plans to save £2.45m.
The Labour-run authority pointed out that Leeds would still have more children’s centres than cities of a similar size. But questions were raised over the evidence used to justify the closures, set out in a report to the council’s executive board in October.
Councillor Mark Dobson, of Garforth and Swillington Independents, led a “call-in” of the closure decision which could have seen it referred for re-consideration. He claimed there were flaws in the consultation process and it was not clear how the cost savings would be achieved.
Coun Dobson told a scrutiny board meeting: “I also believe we are under-estimating the use of the centres.”
Helen Hayden, Labour’s executive member for children and families, said family services would be retained in more suitable locations.
Coun Hayden said: “Our children’s centre offer matters deeply to families across Leeds. The consultation was robust, thorough and objective.”
Council leaders said some of the centres were underused because of a falling birth rate.
Coun Hayden said: “Savings will come from reduced duplication, management and overheads, not from cutting support available to families.”
Leeds City Council must save more than £100m this financial year and was forecasting an overspend of almost £30m in its last financial report.
As part of the shake-up, the remaining 31 children centres would be organised into seven groups, aligned with the council’s Family Hubs around the city. Six centres not currently in use will be de-registered and more services will be provided online.
After a debate by the council’s Children and Families scrutiny board, Coun Dobson said he still believed the closures were “pointless”. He said: “All I would ask colleagues to consider is where are the actual savings?”
In a majority vote, board members released the closure decision for implementation at Tuesday’s Civic Hall meeting.
The centres set to close are:
- Cottingley
- Farnley
- Gildersome
- Ardsley/Tingley
- Villages East
- Castleton
- Quarry Mount,
- Burley Park
- Headingley
- Pudsey
- Farsley and Calverley
- Parklands
- Garforth
- Boston Spa
- Alwoodley
- Roundhay
- Chapel Allerton, Manor Wood.