SureStart centres to be retained in West Berkshire

The district council has said it will retain all of the ten centres across West Berkshire, despite funding cuts

WHILE SureStart centres across the country face closure or funding cuts as local authorities try to make savings, West Berkshire Council has said it will retain all of the ten centres in the district.

A recent study by the families charity 4Children and the Daycare Trust suggests 250 SureStart centres, which support people with young children, are expected to close within a year, 2,000 will provide a reduced service and 3,100 will have a smaller budget as councils seek to make budget savings.

But West Berkshire Council has this week confirmed that it has no plans to close any of the centres in the area.

Executive councillor for education, Barbara Alexander (Con, Compton), said: "These centres are an important front line service with a budget of around £1.6 million in 2011/12.

“Unlike other councils who are consulting on closures, we have protected all 10 centres by carefully securing appropriate funding in the budget planning process.”

She would, however, not rule out staff cuts: “We are making some changes to staffing arrangements as a result of the move from setting up the centres to day to day operation.

“The council will now be developing the centres' roles within communities to offer an even broader range of services, and allowing other professional staff to use them as a base."

SureStart offers free, universal services such as childcare, early education, health and family support services, adult learning, pre and post natal clinics, as well as targeted services including support for young parents, support for vulnerable families, and outreach services in rural communities.

West Berkshire has 10 SureStart centres, each serving around 800 children aged 0-5 years and their families.

Each centre has a manager, two family support workers, and an administrator. The staff work with a range of other professionals from public, private and voluntary organisations offering universal services.

The first of the centres opened in 2005 in Hungerford, but there are now also ones in Newbury, Greenham, Thatcham and other places.