Council to slice £1m from children's centre budget

Luton Council previously had 23 children's centres, however these were cut to seven "hubs" and 16 satellite buildings in 2012. The council plans to call the four new centres "Flying Start" children's centres.

Luton Council estimates it will save around £200,000 annually by using buildings differently.

The new centres will be managed by the council, and the centres' staff will work closely with health visitors, the council's school nursing offer and the national Healthy Child Programme for five- to 19-year-olds. 

The report states that the new hubs will give particular focus to families with additional and complex needs, and early intervention, to reduce the risk of costly interventions further down the line when preventable issues worsen.

However it warns that the changes "may have a detrimental impact on families during the transition" and that this will need to be managed.

"Our vision is to develop a new approach that is better for families and makes more effective use of the money we have available, focused on the delivery of evidence-based interventions," the report states.

The changes will not result in any job losses, as the council states that the number of staff currently employed in children's centres is considered to be the minimum needed to deliver a safe and good-quality service.

Mahmood Hussain, lead member for children and young people at Luton Council, said: "Council officers have been working closely with children's centre staff and local parents to ensure that they have had the opportunity to feedback on the proposed changes.

"Whilst we are changing the way we organise and manage the children's centres to realise the required savings, we have worked hard to ensure that families can still easily access children centres, with staff they know.

"The changes will allow us to improve the consistency of family services across Luton and will ensure we can develop a better long-term strategy to support families with children from birth to 19."