LDR package on KCC's decision about Sheppey family hub
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00:00Waiting to hear their fate. Nine months ago Kent County Council told the staff
00:06sitting in the public gallery today that the two children centres they work for
00:10would be losing their funding at the end of March. This week the councillor behind
00:16the proposals effectively u-turned that decision leading to smiles on staff and
00:23supporters faces following the meeting. I remember first speaking to people and
00:27we had very little hope at the start of this journey to overcome this decision
00:31and today that we have done that to some degree we just need to know what the
00:34finer details look like. Is it going to be smiley faces when you go across the
00:38bridge back to the island? Yes most definitely and the response as Ian has
00:43said we do need some finer details for complete clarification but there is more
00:47hope and that equals smiley faces. Millmead in Margate and Seashells in
00:53Sheerness are the only independent children centres in the county. Both
00:57areas are high in deprivation and their users have long said they're a lifeline
01:03and the heart of the community. KCC were planning to shave almost half a
01:08million pounds off its budget by decommissioning services at the centres
01:12and placing them elsewhere in the towns but these two independent councillors
01:17have been leading the campaigns against the Conservative administration's
01:21proposals. So what's now for the centres? So what I've agreed today is that the
01:28decision will have the addition of a clause which allows the option of direct
01:35funding to Seashells and Millmead from the fourth year family hub grant to
01:40deliver family hub services from their centres. What this means is a grant of
01:45money will go to the two family hubs. The amount still unclear and this will
01:52only be for a year meaning it's not a long-term solution for these campaigners.
01:57We knew that I think coming into the debate today that there would be only
02:01one year's worth of funding and that there's now work to do to ensure the
02:05longevity of the two projects but it's good news. We've kept the
02:11things open and that's got to be a victory. Nine months this has taken did
02:15it have to take that long? No it should have been done in nine minutes it's an
02:18obvious case. And now is this going to be the next administration's issue to keep
02:23this long term? Yeah we won the battle we haven't won the war. The decision comes
02:28just a week before the authority enters purdah. In May every seat is up for
02:33election. It'll be for the next administration to decide what happens
02:38next. Gabriel Morris at County Hall in
02:41Maidstone