The changing needs for childcare – especially following the government’s policy of extending free entitlement of childcare facilities to three and four year olds – have prompted Wiltshire Council to hold a consultation on the use of the county’s children’s centres.
The Council wants to free up space for the development of more childcare spaces and put the accent on delivering more family support in the community.
The Council’s contracts with the four providers who took over from the Sure Start centre founders, end in June next year. Marlborough’s children centre – the Corner House Children’s Centre in the George Lane car park – is run by the London based charity 4 Children.
The future of Marlborough’s centre may be hinted at in this sentence from the Wiltshire Council announcement: “Children’s centres which are well used and in areas of higher deprivation are likely to remain, however those in areas where it would benefit families to use more popular venues are being considered to have a change of use and could be used to provide more childcare places for three and four year old children of working parents.”
People can now make their views known at this web address.
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