A submission for splitting the county council into two unitary bodies was put to government by three of Cheshire's district councils in 2006. The County Council's new administration wants a single authority and is fighting the split, along with Crewe and Congleton borough councils, amid fears over disruption and financial costs.
Sue Egersdorff, county manager for children and families, said, 'Clearly the disaggregating of the children's centre grant will be an issue. It will take time to split the grant between two units and that could seriously affect the planning of the capital spend.
'The other concern is that the expertise we've built up on planning and construction will have to be split up and that will mean there isn't enough expertise to go around,' she added. 'The children's centre knowledge is predominantly in the west of the county. So the east will have little expertise and it will not be an equitable offer.'
The district councils proposing the split presented their third financial justification to the Department for Communities and Local Government last week.
A spokesman for the county council said, 'The independent financial consultants Deloitte, appointed by the pro-district councils themselves, have also identified risks. So, after three attempts to justify their financial case, the districts plan still carries the same affordability risks.'
Chris Chapman, chair of the Cheshire Schools Forum, said, 'Two authorities will be more expensive to run because of the duplication of senior management, and smaller councils are unlikely to afford specialists teams working with the most vulnerable youngsters.'
Services in Cheshire
- Cheshire has 15 children's centres currently open. Cheshire County Council is scheduled to deliver 45 children's centres by 2010, and 23 centres should be open by April 2008.
- More than 300 of Cheshire's headteachers and 4,000 school governors have formed the Cheshire School Forum in opposition to the plans.