A HIGH Court challenge has been launched against plans to cut funding to more than half of the county’s children’s centres, the Oxford Mail can reveal.

Last night Oxfordshire County Council confirmed it is facing a judicial review of the process that led to its controversial reorganisation of children’s services, which will come into effect next year.

The shake-up would result in funding being pulled from 31 of 44 children’s centres and two of seven early intervention hubs after March.

It is understood the bid for a judicial review has been launched by two parents on behalf of their children, who cannot be named for legal reasons. 

A spokesman for the county council yesterday said the claim was “legally and factually misconceived”.

It came as senior councillors yesterday approved a consultation on plans to spend an extra £2m on keeping more children’s centres open.

Oxford Mail:

  • Campaigners protested against children's centre closures outside of County Hall, in Oxford, yesterday.

Under the new £14m system, eight of the centres and early intervention hubs would remain fully-funded by the county council and offer limited open-access activities.

A further two would be kept open up as “bases” and eight more as self-funding ‘outreach centres’, mainly offering day care.

Council bosses insist the shake-up – which has support from the ruling Conservatives, as well as Labour and the Liberal Democrats – is the only way to meet rising demand for children’s social care while also making £6m of agreed budget cuts.

Jim Leivers, director of children’s services, told the cabinet: “At the moment I have social workers with caseloads in the 60s and 70s. 

“It is un-doable, it is dangerous and it will lead to a tragedy.”

Oxford Mail:

  • The petition presented by campaigners to the county councill.

But the changes were condemned by parents from the campaign group Save Oxfordshire’s Children’s Centres, who said yesterday’s decision was “unforgivable”.

At the start of the meeting they presented an eight metre-long petition signed by more than 9,000 people, urging the cabinet to reconsider.

Mum-of-two Charlie Payne told them: “This council has chronically underfunded children’s social care and now it is trying to fill that hole by taking money out of the very services that prevent families slipping into crisis.

“Children’s centres help get children out of abusive homes, stop mothers spiralling into severe post-natal depression and allow families to access help without stigma.

“If you support these plans you will be propping up the smokescreen that says that, even with an extra £2m, the only way to help vulnerable families is to allow them hit crisis and then offer help.”

As well as the £14m new service, which will be for children aged up to 19, council officials said yesterday that they were looking at providing ‘open-access’ activities for families out of the county’s 43 libraries.

Oxford Mail:

  • Independent county councillor Mark Gray, who called for more cash to go towards keeping under-threat children's centres open.

Those children’s centres that are set to lose funding could also be kept open by community groups, who will be able to bid for a slice of £1m in one-off ‘transitional’ funding. 

But in a scrutiny meeting before cabinet, independent councillor Mark Gray said this was not enough and called for £500,000 of the extra £2m in annual funds to be used to keep extra centres open. 

He said: “It would be a huge shot in the arm for those centres. And the key point is it is perpetual money. It is not transitory.”

But Liz Brighouse, leader of the Labour group, opposed this with other councillors on the scrutiny committee, who said resources should be targeted at the most vulnerable families.

She added: “If it were not for Labour, we would not be discussing this extra £2m at all. 

“We must ensure we have services available for our vulnerable young people. That is crucial.

“It has been a tortuous journey, but we have got there.”

Green Party leader David Williams said the council should have held a referendum for an increase in council tax to pay for children’s centres to stay open.

Oxford Mail:

  • Green group leader David Williams said a council tax referendum should have been held to raise cash for children's centres.

Commenting on the legal challenge to the children’s centre plans, a county council spokesman said: “The claims made are legally and factually misconceived.

“Their case is that local authorities cannot take any service delivery decisions, which are firm for more than one financial year and cannot plan ahead of that. That is obviously not the law. 

“The children’s centres campaigners have not explained why they say it is, or referred to any statutory provision or other authority in support. 

“The council has carried out two consultations and conducted impact assessments.”