Family hubs in Kent under threat of closure await final verdict

Campaigners will now have to wait till next week to hear the final decision being made on whether Seashells at Sheerness and Millmead in Margate will face the axe.

Following discussions at Kent County Council’s full members’ meeting next week, the authority’s cabinet will “confirm, amend or rescind” the decommissioning of family hub provision at the centres.

Kent County Council argue that by decommissioning the services they hope to save around £425,000 from their budget.

They also claim the same services are to be made available at other centres nearby but campaigners say that this is not enough.

Cllr Independent member for Sheppey Mike Whiting has been campaigning to keep the hubs open, he says:

"What I'm hoping for is that the cabinet member reverses her decision and does renew the contract at seashells and at Milmead. The County Council originally made the point that it was it has to save £100 million this year, and this is one of the ways in which they were going to try and save that money. In the latter part of last year, the government announced an unexpected 4.1 million grant to KCC to spend on family hubs."

"We have been arguing since that they should be spending some of that money (roughly about £400,000) to renew the contracts of these two centres and to keep them going."

Kent County Council has been under severe financial strain for some years and is faced with having to make tens of millions of pounds in savings in order to balance the books.

They also say it has faced soaring costs, particularly in the area of adult social care, but does not receive sufficient funding from central government to pay the bills.

The council announced officially on January 17 services at both centres would be decommissioned.

The final decision will be made next week.