The council’s cabinet has agreed that eight of the city’s 15 children’s centres should be closed and the buildings offered to schools and childcare professionals. The move will save £1.2m.
The remaining children’s centres will be turned into three outreach centres and four universal “super hubs”, where all families will be able to access a range of services, including health, education and funding.
The plans, which were approved on Monday, were amended last week in response to public concern about a potential lack of provision in certain areas of the city.
Initially, the Conservative-led council had wanted to close eight children’s centres and re-use the buildings to provide services for families, but it decided to retain them and offer a £100,000 package of support to fund alterntative support from them instead.
However, the decision to go ahead with the plans has come under fire from campaigners who say parents will still be left without access to vital support.
Annabel Hatch, from the Save Peterborough’s Children’s Centres campaign, described the decision as “utterly devastating”.
She said: “New mums coming along won’t receive the support I was so lucky to have.
“The support children’s centres provide – especially for new mothers – can’t be replaced by the council’s idea that parents can provide support.
“The people that run these groups are trained, their background is checked and they are safeguarding children – parents won’t be able to do that.”
Ed Murphy, a Labour and Co-operative councillor, who has campaigned against the proposals since they were first announced, described the decision as "very short-sighted".
He added: “They are now talking about paying for the transport costs to get children to these new hubs – that’s an extra cost.
“I’m going to ask the scrutiny committee to look at the decision, and I’m also going to propose an alternative budget for the council where they can save in other places.”
Councillor Sheila Scott, cabinet member for children's services, said the council will continue to fund services for vulnerable families.
She said: "We have given a commitment to focus our resources on those families who need our support the most. If individuals have difficulty accessing our services they will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
"We have listened very carefully to parents’ concerns – as a result of this we have found an additional £100,000 to provide, amongst other things, support for those parents wishing to set up their own groups to get the training they need so they have a full understanding of their duties to ensure children are properly safeguarded.
“This listening does not end there. We will be working closely with those families who need our support the most considering each one on a case-by-case basis.”
