Threatened children's centre is saved from closure
A Cornwall children's centre has received a last-minute reprieve from closure, after the local authority decided it would cost less to carry out repairs on the existing building than to relocate services.
Trevu Children's Centre
Trevu Children's Centre in Camborne had been due to close this month. But on Tuesday (15 September), Cornwall council confirmed that the centre, based in a schoolbuilding that dates from 1908, will now be used as the main hub for providing children's services to families in the area for the next two years.
The council is setting up a group to consider how other groups and organisations could use the building to help contribute to the running costs and is consulting on how best to offer services for children and families in the future. Staff at the centre will continue to develop outreach services.
Protestors had fought hard to save the centre after it was put up for sale in June, setting up a campaign website and collecting more than 1,000 petition signatures.
Cornwall Council had planned to sell the building to private developers for housing, claiming that running costs for the building were too high and that it would cost too much to repair the heating system.
Councillor David Biggs, chair of the working group, said that a detailed examination of the costs of maintaining the existing building had concluded that it would not be financially viable to sell it in the current economic climate.
Mr Biggs said, 'Today's announcement clearly demonstrates the commitment of the new Cornwall Council to talking with and listening to local people. I am delighted that we have been able to identify a way forward that all groups can support, and I am sure that we will be able to work together in the best interests of all children and families in Camborne.'
The council will now carry out essential repairs to fix the boiler and cooking facilities, which is estimated to cost around £15,000.
