Political row erupts over Barnet children's centre cuts

Since 2011, the number of children’s centres in the area has reduced from 21 to 13. The Conservative-controlled council plans to cut an additional £2.18m from early intervention and prevention budgets next year, plus £500,000 from children’s centre funding in 2014/15. ?

Labour councillors have now accused the council of planning even further cuts to children’s centre funding, after it appointed a consultant to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of the centres and their outreach services. ?

The consultant, who will be paid up to £24,999 for the project, has been asked to look at the impact of children’s centre services on the lives of local families and to audit centres’ income sources, activities and costs.?

The findings will “inform the future service design and delivery of children’s centres to achieve the best possible outcomes for children, young people and their families against a backdrop of reduced resources,” according to a council report.?

Barnet Labour group’s children’s services spokesperson Ross Houston said: "It seems quite clear that this report will end up with yet another set of recommendations that cut services or funding from our children’s centres, propose privatising them or closing them.?

“Our children’s centres already deliver excellent services on a shoestring to vulnerable children and to those families most in need. They deserve to be supported, not whittled away."?

A spokeswoman for Barnet council denied that the report they have commissioned from the consultant has anything to do with “privatising or closing children’s centres.”?

She said: “It will measure the effectiveness of the children’s centres intervention and the outcomes for the child and family.  This report will inform how far Barnet children’s centres go in representing fair value for money for Barnet residents.”?

She added that the consultant’s work mirrors national research being carried out by the Department for Education evaluating children’s centres.?

Andrew Harper, Barnet’s lead member for children’s families and education, accused the council’s Labour group of  “scaremongering”.?

He said: “What I don’t do is sit here thinking how I can close more children’s centres. What I am doing is wondering how we can more effectively target our services so that they are getting to those that need them most.”?

Harper argued that there has been a 25 per cent increase in the number of families using the services following the council’s “reconfiguration” of provision.