UNISON leads campaign to save Bolton children’s centres

Union launches protest after council announces merger plan that will see two thirds of centres closed

UNISON is leading the campaign to stop the closure of children’s services across Bolton, after the council unveiled plans to slash the number of centres in the town by two thirds.

If passed, the plan would mean 13 buildings no longer operate a children’s centre.

More and more councils are seeing funds squeezed to such an extent that they are cutting more and more services on which local communities rely.

A protest yesterday (Thursday) outside the Bright Meadows Children’s Centre was organised by local unions, with Andrea Egan of Bolton UNISON telling The Bolton News that the branch was “really pleased with the turnout and support,” as “it is clear how important these community hubs are for people”.

The council hopes to save £1.5m by merging the family support, early years and childcare and children’s centre services into a new ‘start well’ service.

People have until 2 September to let the council know their opinions. Final proposals will be brought back to the council cabinet in October.