Nursery World - Council cut brings end to charity-run children's centres

Barnardo's and Action for Children have lost their contracts to run seven children's centres in Leicester in a council bid to save 1.7m a year.

While the plans are still in the early stages, it is likely that Leicester City Council will take over the running of the centres.

Currently, Action for Children manages five of Leicester's 23 Sure Start children's centres - St Matthews, Highfields, Bewcastle and Netherall, while Barnardo's runs two centres, Saffron and Hamilton.

Leicester City Council first considered ending the charities' contracts in its budget consultation at the beginning of the year after seeing 'severe reductions' in Government funding, which the council says forced it to re-think it's children's centre strategy.

According to the city's assistant mayor for children, young people and schools, Vi Dempster, the move will reduce the children's centre's operating costs by £1.7m a year.

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