- The full list of local authorities and their plans for children's centres is below
A survey jointly carried out by 4Children, the Daycare Trust and Nursery World found that only 60 out of 150 local authorities were able to agree when asked if they could give a commitment to keeping all of their children's centres open. A further 29 local authorities said that they could not agree with the statement but they had 'no plans' to close any of the settings, while 61 local authorities did not respond to the survey or said that they had not yet reached a decision on the future of their children's centres.
The research follows a survey of 917 children's centre managers in January, also by the Daycare Trust and 4Children, which estimated that around 250 centres will be forced to close over the next 12 months and that staff at 1,000 centres have been issued with 'at risk of redundancy notices' (News, 3 February).
'Many parents are right to worry'
Anne Longfield, chief executive of 4Children, said, 'It is good news that a growing number of councils are making a public 
commitment to keeping their Sure Start children's centres open - it shows that it is possible to put families first even when times are tough financially. But this survey also proves that many parents still are right to worry, with many local authorities yet to finalise their future plans, and some publicly acknowledging likely children's centre closures.
She added, 'Sure Start is a lifeline for vulnerable families and has never been more crucial as families struggle to offer the best for their children. Those facing unemployment or family problems will find it hard to escape from their troubles without the support these centres offer.
'The next few weeks are critical for the future of children's centres. Local and national decision makers must stand ready to step in to ensure such vital services are not lost forever.'
Anand Shukla, acting chief executive of the Daycare Trust, said, 'While we understand that there are tough spending decisions to be made, we know that investing in children today is an investment in the future of our society and economy. We hope that councils will listen to their local residents, who are forming strong campaigns across the country to fight these cuts. It is now clear beyond doubt that families will not stand back and watch short-term cost-cutting decisions close down the services provided in their much loved children's centres.'
Responding to the survey, children's minister Sarah Teather said, 'We have ensured there is enough money in the system to maintain the network of Sure Start children's centres, as well as provided new investment for health visitors.
'I understand that local authorities are facing difficult decisions which require local discussion and hard choices, but what's most important is that children and families, particularly the most disadvantaged, have access to vital services. The new Early Intervention Grant gives local authorities the freedom and flexibility to make the best decisions about services in their communities. Local authorities still have a legal duty to provide sufficient children's centre provision for the families in their areas and must consult local communities properly before closing or changing children's centres.
'Good local authorities are restructuring with care and making sensible changes – for example, through "clustering" of centres - so they can continue to provide much-needed services for families but in a more efficient way. In many areas, final decisions have not yet been made and will depend on the outcome of consultation with local communities.'
- A petition with almost 5,000 signatures opposing the planned funding cuts at the Pen Green Children's Centre in Northamptonshire was handed in at 10 Downing Street last Tuesday.
The Corby-based centre is facing a cut of £1.1m over the next three years which would spell the end for 51 groups for children and families, along with all after-school provision and family support services.
Local Authorities who were able to give a commitment to keeping all existing Children’s Centres open in 2011-12
Bath & North East Somerset
Bournemouth
Bristol
Buckinghamshire
Bury
Calderdale
Cambridgeshire
Central Bedfordshire
Darlington
Devon
Doncaster
Durham
Ealing
East Riding of Yorkshire
Essex
Greenwich
Hackney
Halton
Hammersmith and Fulham
Harrow
Hartlepool
Herefordshire
Hertfordshire
Hounslow
Hull
Isle of Wight
Islington
Leicestershire
Lewisham
Lincolnshire
Medway
Merton
North Somerset
North Yorkshire
Northamptonshire
Northumberland
Nottingham
Nottinghamshire
Oldham
Peterborough
Poole
Redbridge
Redcar and Cleveland
Richmond upon Thames
Sandwell
Solihull
Somerset
Southend-on-Sea
St Helens
Stoke-on-Trent
Suffolk
Surrey
Swindon
Tameside
Tower Hamlets
Trafford
Wiltshire
Wolverhampton
Worcestershire
York
Local Authorities who were not able to agree with the statement but said that they had ‘no plans’ to close their existing Sure Start Children’s Centres
Bexley
Birmingham
Blackburn with Darwen
Bracknell Forest
Brent
Croydon
Derbyshire
Dudley
Hillingdon
Kent
Luton
Manchester
Middlesbrough
Milton Keynes
Newcastle upon Tyne
Norfolk
North Tyneside
Oxfordshire
Reading
Rutland
Stockport
Sutton
Walsall
Wandsworth
Warrington
West Berkshire
Westminster
Wokingham
Sixty-two local authorities have either not made or finalised a decision on closures, will make closures, or who did not respond to our request