UPDATE: Council make decision over children's centre 

THE fate of an empty children's centre which has catered for some of the most deprived families in Oxford will be decided at a crunch meeting today.

Florence Park Children's Centre could become home to either a privately-run nursery or reopened as a dedicated community-run centre - but it cannot be both after discussions over sharing broke down.

Aflah Nursery was poised to sign a lease agreement for the building back in June before a 1,500-strong petition was put forward to keep it open to the community, in what backers are calling a 'golden opportunity'.

Oxfordshire County Council then delayed a decision on who should run the building, and Aflah Nursery and Aspire Oxford held discussions over jointly using the building.

But negotiations fell through and the county council's cabinet will now have to rule over the fate of the centre, which has been closed since April, following cuts to children's centres.

More than 1,600 people have publicly supported the Aspire Oxford bid which the council said created a 'powerful local coalition' that could bring forward the new centre.

It would provide 24 nursery places and give parents and carers access to health and midwifery services, and drop-in sessions for youngsters.

CEO of Aspire Oxford, Paul Roberts, said: "There is an overwhelming amount of support for this wonderful centre in the beautiful park to be open-access and community-run.

"Aspire Oxford is keen to ensure that residents are empowered to develop a centre that is genuinely community led, meeting both the needs of local people in the immediate and wider area, and also meets the aims and priorities of the county council.

He added: "We believe this is a golden opportunity for locals and for the council."

For the scheme to be financially viable Aspire Oxford said 1,700 people would need to use an on-site cafe by 2019 - which sparked concerns over traffic and parking.

Aflah caters predominantly for Muslim children and wants to expand from its current premises at the Regal Community Centre in Cowley.

Staff spend hours each day setting up and packing away their nursery in the building and have long waiting lists of young children in the community.

Director Frazana Aslam said it was very much part of the community and would help with childcare provision and put on extra sessions open to all.

She said: "We are hopeful and if the decision goes our way we will honour our commitment and our intentions to serve the community.

"We feel it's being described as a private organisation versus the community, but we are very much part of this community.

"The children we look after will also have used the children's centre before getting to nursery age."

The Aflah Nursery proposal would go ahead under the council's 'asset transfer policy' and would not receive any funding.

If Aspire's bid was successful the team would get £30,000 over three years as part of the council's £1m transition fund to help communities run their own children's centres.

But officers said both bids failed to provide the 40 places for 0-5 year-olds needed to meet the council's criteria.

In her report assistant chief executive Maggie Scott said: "It is preferable not to start the process again as this would delay any implementation of childcare places.

"While both proposals do not meet the requirement there is an opportunity to work with the chosen group to offer additional childcare places, open access and other community initiatives."