Families fears for threatened Wolverhampton children's centres
Closing well-used children's centres will impact youngsters' early years in life and affect the foundations of their education, parents have warned.
Families have spoken of their fears after Wolverhampton City Council announced plans to axe more than half of the city's children's centres because of government funding cuts.
The controversial closure plans come after the Government announced it would axe £3.88m of funding to the authority, which has left it needing to save £1.5m a year from the service.
It is not yet known which of the 17 children's centres will be affected by the moves but parents whose children use the service have spoken of the concerns the moves could have on their children.
Linda Sempa of Gower Street, Wolverhampton, whose grandson attends All Saints Children's Centre, said: "If you take away children centres you're affecting the foundation of their education.
"This could lead to further problems when they grow up.
"The Government is hacking too much too soon. This isn't the council's fault.
One parent, whose two children use the service in All Saints said: "I pay a lot of money for my children to go there and if this were to close then I have to get transport to another centre which is an additional cost.
"If I can't afford to do that then I either I have to move closer or my child can't go to the centre. That's not a choice I should have to make."
Grandmother Samantha Field, of Maxwell Road, All Saints, added: "Why should children have to pay for this? Kids will have nowhere to go if they take these centres away and that is not going to help them in the future.
"Parents could be left with a choice of taking their children to school or not eating. What sort of start in life is this going to give children if they're settled at a centre then have to go elsewhere so soon?"
The 17 children's centre in Wolverhampton are All Saints Children's Centre; Berries Children's Centre; Bilston Nursery & Children's Centre; Bingley Children's Centre; Bushbury Triangle Children's Centre; Children's Village; Dove Children's Centre; Eastfield Children's Centre; Low Hill Children's Centre; Marshes Children's Centre; Rainbow Children's Centre; St Martin's Children's Centre; Star & Crescent Children's Centre; Sunbeam Children's Centre; The Parks Children's Centre; Whitmore Reans Children's Centre and Windsor Children's Centre.
