Minister backs threatened Corby children's centre

A Conservative MP and minister has given his backing to a children and families centre hit by cuts, in a special BBC debate in Corby.

The Pen Green Centre in the Northamptonshire town is to have its budget cut in half, in a move campaigners have called "catastrophic".

Corby MP Tom Pursglove said: "It makes no sense to lose the centre."

Tory-controlled North Northamptonshire Council said overall it had not cut support for nurseries.

BBC Politics East brought together representatives of the three main political parties, charities and business leaders in a debate at the Corby Cube, where they discussed the centre and other local topics.

The panel included Mr Pursglove, Labour councillor Zoe McGhee, former Lib Dem councillor Chris Stanbra, Hilary Chipping (chief executive of the South East Midland Local Enterprise Partnership), businessman Nick Bolton, Pen Green Centre nurse Amy Devine, and founder of Adrenaline Alley skate and BMX park, Mandy Young.

Pen Green offers a nursery school, early years places, parent and child groups and support, special educational needs support, a research and development base and a teaching school from its site on Rockingham Road.

Ms Devine said cutting the funding to Pen Green "means a complete decimation of the services we offer for our children and families... a huge, huge loss to Corby as a town".

Mr Pursglove said: "I have always been a supporter of Pen Green. It makes no sense to lose those integrated centre services.

"The government recognises the value of this service and that it should be supported."

He said the government's family hub initiative could be one way the centre received support.

"I think Pen Green could lead the [family hub] provision for North Northamptonshire," he said.

Ms McGhee said: "The people making the decision are delusional if they think that the decision is not going to have far bigger repercussions for Corby and for the children and the families. They will have to pay more money out in the long run."

Mr Stanbra said the council had enough money to fund the centre.

"It has £140m in reserves. Money sitting there doing nothing," he said.

Jason Smithers, the leader of North Northamptonshire Council, said: "Last year we invested an extra £650,000 to support the sector.

"What we are doing is getting behind all our maintained nurseries so that every child, no matter where they live in North Northamptonshire, has the same opportunity within their own community.

"We are using a fairer, more equitable and transparent funding arrangement aimed at giving all the maintained nurseries the same opportunity and to remain open to serve their communities for many years to come."

You can see more on this story on Politics East on BBC One on Sunday, 12 March at 10:00 GMT, with it also available on BBC iPlayer afterwards.

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