HAMPSHIRE County Council is going ahead with plans to develop a new integrated Family Support Service which will see the withdrawal of services from the Chase Children’s Centre in Bordon, as well as Petersfield’s Heath Centre.

The plans will save £8.5m by combining children’s centres, early help hubs and the youth support budgets into a single service, targeted at the “most vulnerable families”.

In East Hampshire, services will no longer be provided from Chase at Bordon and Heath at Petersfield, leaving Bushy Leaze at Alton as the Family Support Service hub for the district - one of 11 across the county from which outreach services will emanate.

Liphook parents have been travelling to the Hillside and Tree Tops Children Centres at either Petersfield Heath or Chase at Bordon for a number of years.

They will be facing a much longer journey to Alton on a very poor public transport network.

Hampshire County Councillor Adam Carew said he was “angry and deeply saddened about the decision” having previously criticised the move as it sends “entirely the wrong message” at a time of expansion.

During the consultation, Mr Carew said that “given historic public transport issues” expecting families to travel to Alton is not “either realistic or reasonable”.

With pressure to meet a funding shortfall of £98 million by April 2017, HCC is introducing a number of cost-saving initiatives. However, according to HCC, the new Family Support Service will “modernise” things as well as saving vital funds.

The change won’t necessarily see the loss of the Chase venue itself as it, and Petersfield’s Heath, will be made available for “alternative community use”.

Hampshire’s executive lead member for children’s services, councillor Keith Mans, rubber stamped the proposals.

He said:“In the face of on-going profound reductions in central Government funding, we are determined to maintain essential services, particularly services for those with high levels of need of our help, care and protection,”

“In order to do this we have to develop ways to do things differently. I have taken into account a number of factors in making my decision - the response from our public consultation on the family support service proposals, the changes in the way people are increasingly accessing information, advice and support services, the additional and complimentary support that is now available to families within the community, and the financial context within which the county council is operating.

“This decision has not been easy, but I am satisfied that this new service will support those who are most vulnerable and in need of help but who do not meet the threshold for statutory social care, while ensuring that comprehensive information, advice and signposting is provided for all.”

Only 11 of the council’s 54 centres will remain with around 180 staff set to lose their jobs by 2017.

But campaign group Save Our Children’s Centres has said it is hoping to mount a legal challenge against the plans.

Mr Carew said he met with Mr Mans to try and find the best solution, but was told that the council was in “an impossible situation due to swingeing cuts from central government”.

While appreciating the reason for the changes, Mr Carew said he felt strongly that given “local levels of deprivation,” and “limited public transport” any new family support hub should be in Whitehill and Bordon.

Plus, as Chase Children’s Centre is co-located at Budds Lane with charity Home-Start WeyWater and Bordon Infants School on a campus that is to be expanded in the next few years, Mr Carew asked if there could be mileage in “looking at different models of provision”.

He said: “The lead officer said he was happy to look at the demographics again, but Alton also had deprivation and, in terms of sustainability, he felt there was already a number of services based in Alton that could be combined into one Family Support Hub at Bushy Leaze.

“No decision has apparently been made about Chase Children’s Centre building and it is hoped that other uses can be found.

“I understand the appalling dilemma the county council finds themselves in and can see this has not been an easy decision for councillor Mans to make.

“But although the service is not what it was five years ago, I still feel that, given the £1billion regeneration programme, Whitehill and Bordon would be a special case.

“The centre building is still there, I am not going to give up and I am hopeful there may still be future opportunities as part of the 0-19 planned schools hub in Budds Lane.

“I am expecting there to be an attempt at a Hampshire-wide judicial review to try and overturn the decision.

“If this is mounted and this decision is overturned, it would not only affect Hampshire but set a legal precedent for challenging all councils who are having to plug holes in children’s services due massive cuts in Government funding.

“We will have to see what happens.”

Children’s centres work with families and children aged 0–4 years to help support a child’s development and readiness for school.

The centres also provide advice on parenting, healthy lifestyles, employment and training.