Lib Dem Group statement about Children’s Centres

"Sefton Council senior officers have told Council members that there will, in their view, not be enough money in 2011/12 to run the Phase 2 and 3 Children's Centres and that by implication they think that only Phase 1 Centres can be funded. It is this stark fact put before us that all members of Council have to consider.

If Council Officers are right (and we are presently investigating things) then the Council could only keep the Phase 2 and 3 Centres open by ceasing funding elsewhere within the Council and moving the money to fund the Centres. However, the Council has already made savings of £26m for the 2011/12 year and it needs to make a further £17m for that same year to balance its books. It is for this reason that senior officers have said there will be no money to run the Phase 2 and 3 Centres.

The Lib Dem Group, on balanced Sefton Council where no party has a majority, is presently looking at all options before it but the honest answer to concerns is that finding the huge amount of money needed to keep the Phase 2 and 3 open is virtually impossible. A more likely possibility is to try to save some of what they

presently deliver. It is this that we are investigating.

You may be told that the Council does not need to make the savings but if you are this is untrue. The Council has to set a legal budget that balances by March of this year and to do that it is estimated that it needs to reduce spending by the £17m mentioned above on top of the £26m savings already made. Please beware of anyone offering to save the Centres as the only way that can be done is by extra millions of Pounds being found from outside of the Council i.e. from Government. Unfortunately Phase 2 and 3 Children's Centres are closing across the UK due to the economic crisis affecting the Country."