No closure for Sure Start centres

Sure Start children's centres in East Hunsbury, Wootton and Bugbrooke will not be shut down as part of county council cuts.
The authority revealed it will not be closing any of the centres as part of its 2011/12 budget at last Thursday's (January 20) full council meeting.
Cabinet member for children and young people Councillor Andrew Grant, pictured, said all 50 of the county's children centres will remain open. That includes the facilities at Hunsbury Library in Overslade Close, East Hunsbury; Wootton children's centre in Farmclose Road, Wootton; and Bugbrooke children's centre at Bugbrooke Community Primary School.
However, according to a council press release, all centres across Northamptonshire will be required to look at their 'back office functions including organisation management and delivery models, to ensure that money is prioritised on front line delivery instead.'
This means there may yet be cuts and redundancies within individual centres.
Cllr Grant said: "I have made a guarantee today that no centres will close as part of the 2011/12 budget.
"As a council we are facing extremely challenging financial pressures and the government has cut our grant that is partly used to fund the centres by 8.4 per cent so savings will have to be made somewhere.
"But we believe that by looking at the back office function of the children centres including the organisation management and delivery models we can seek the most efficient ways of delivering this service and prioritise funding to delivery of the front line services that are offered at the centres.
"We recognise the value of the services offered by the centres and are committed to ensuring they can continue to improve the outcomes for children and young people in the county."