News

Council's funding cuts to children's centres face legal challenge

A parent has threatened to take legal action against a local authority over its plans to re-organise its children's centres.

Hampshire County Council has already been forced to extend a consultation on the planned closures by one month, until mid-April, after criticism from residents on how it handled the consultation process (News, 24 March).

But parents say that the consultation is a sham and are threatening legal action because the funding cuts were approved in February as part of the council's budget.

Solicitors have now written to the council on behalf of one of the parents. Rosa Curling of Leigh Day and Co Solicitors, said, 'It appears that the council made the decision to close the centres and then launched a consultation. That is disingenuous and unlawful. We are challenging both the decision process and the decision to close the centres'.

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