OF ALL the damaging cuts proposed by Oxfordshire County Council, it is the likely closure of the children’s centres which is the most destructive and short-sighted.

I recently dropped into the Marston Northway Children’s Centre on Copse Lane to understand more about what the centre provides.

It is a “one-stop” shop to see the midwife or health visitor, and a place where pre-school children can get used to being with others of their own age. This makes the transition to school much easier.

In a safe environment, there are parenting and ante-natal classes, and opportunities for parents, grandparents and carers to help very young children learn through singing, and storytelling.

The commitment of the staff is second to none; they care about what they do and are devastated by the likelihood of closure later this year.

Independent research on the value for money of Oxfordshire children’s centres gave them gold stars all round – improving the education and health of our children and enabling them to begin a journey where they reach their full potential.

This Conservative government makes much of the extra cash they have recently allocated to the NHS. But with the closure of these centres, many of those caring for children will now have to go to their health centres, which are already overloaded, to deal with concerns.

Closure is a false economy and the opposite of joined up government.

No-one I have met in Marston and Northway thinks closing the local children’s centre is a good idea.

I hope voters all across Oxfordshire will use the opportunities they have at the ballot box in both 2016 and 2017 to tell Conservative councillors and candidates these cuts are wrong and cannot be forgiven.

NIGEL CHAPMAN
Chalfont Road
Oxford