Council to consult on closing three children’s centres in Harrogate district

North Yorkshire Council is set to consult on closing three Sure Start children’s centres in Harrogate and Knaresborough.

Sure Start was a flagship policy of Tony Blair’s Labour government and was launched to improve children’s life chances, with local authority-controlled centres set up to support early learning for children under five.

The three centres were set up with a combined £2.9 million of government funding but will now likely close for good due to cost-cutting measures.

Harrogate Bilton Sure Start centre was based at the now-closed Woodfield primary school site and received £330,000 in government funding.

Harrogate Central Sure Start centre at Saltergate Primary School received £1.7m in funding and Knaresborough’s children’s centre on Manor Road received £803,000.

The council said since the covid pandemic began almost five years ago, many of its support services for parents and children have moved online.

A spokesperson said this has reduced the need for physical premises and has led to more people being able to access services.

They also said deregistering the buildings as children’s centres will allow “much greater flexibility” for future uses of the spaces which could generate income for the authority and save money on bills.

The sites are included on a list of 18 remaining Sure Start centres across North Yorkshire that are set to close.

A 28-day public consultation is set to begin at the end of August if approved by the council’s Conservative executive members for education next week.

A report will then go before the executive in October before a final decision is made.

Since the Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government and the introduction of austerity measures, more than 1,000 Sure Start centres have closed.

North Yorkshire Council and the former county council have closed 18 children’s centres. These were set up with a total Sure Start government investment of £4.9m which it was not required to pay back.

Unison's head of local government Mike Short said the closure of children’s centres was hitting the region’s most vulnerable families.

He said: 

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