Concerns raised over shake up of Shropshire's children's services

Shropshire Council intends to set up seven early help family bases as a replacement service, the authority's cabinet decided last week.

The centres are designed to help families who need support and to prevent children coming to harm or having to be taken into the care of social services.

Under the plans there will be new centres at The Centre in Oswestry, Sunflower House and Crowmoor Centre in Shrewsbury, Rockspring Centre in Ludlow, Whitchurch, the youth centre in Bridgnorth, and at Market Drayton.

Families that most need support will be able to access the services in their homes or local village halls or community centres.

But Bishop's Castle councillor Jonny Keeley said he was "frustrated" with the decision.

He said: "Any cut to services is a problem, I don't think they've done all the research necessarily to really commit to this being a saving.

"I asked for the numbers for how much they are proposing to save. I wanted to know how much it costs now and how much it will after and they couldn't give it to me.

"I'm frustrated that we didn't get that information before the decision was made and there was months between then and now.

'Rarely used'

"I genuinely think these are decisions made based on the landscape of more urban north Shropshire rather than south Shropshire."

Speaking when the decision was taken at Shropshire Council's cabinet last week Councillor Nick Bardsley, portfolio holder for children and young people, said it would save nearly £1 million, and that the current services were “rarely used”.

He said: “The sessions we were running, some of them were very poorly attended, even in Shrewsbury, so clearly the service that has been provided is not what the people want. The new service will be very much more focussed, very focussed on families that need the services, rather than scattered about in different buildings where the services we have to say were very poorly attended.”

Services will be withdrawn from centres at Richmond House, Buttercup Lodge, Honeysuckle Lodge, Mereside Primary School, Meole Brace Primary School, Ellesmere Primary School, St Peters Primary School in Wem, Whitchurch Infants School, Longlands Primary School, Market Drayton Infant School, Albrighton Primary School, St Andrew’s Primary School in Shifnal, St Mary’s Bluecoat Primary School in Bridgnorth, Church Stretton School, Stokesay Primary School, Crowgate in Bishops Castle, Holy Trinity in Oswestry, Woodside Primary School in Oswestry, Baschurch Village Hall, and Morda Primary School.

Councillor Keeley said they will now look to see what they can do with the building.

He added: "On the other side looking positively we need to see what we can do with the building that will be left empty. There's lots of options and we need to look to see what is possible."