Letter: Closure of Children’s Centres is Disgusting

Published on: 16 Nov, 2018
Updated on: 16 Nov, 2018

From: Katherine Lester

In response to: Two Guildford Borough Children’s Centres to Close

The closure of the Children’s Centres is disgusting.

Ash & Tongham is the largest suburban area of Guildford with several council estates and a significant amount of poverty and they rip 40% of the service out.

Are they giving everyone, in need of the service, free direct transport to Park Barn? No, we’ll get ignored again.

The behaviour of the primary school age group who have benefited from the children’s centres has improved. We have a better community feel now around our younger children & their families, which crosses social boundaries and the children’s centre provision has been instrumental in that.

The secondary age is still a problem, and won’t improve long-term if our main children’s service goes to Park Barn, reducing our community to people who pass in the street.

Park Barn! Just ridiculous to expect people on benefits and those with very young children to travel there from Ash and Tongham. It will be only be accessed by the better off from our area who can afford the time and a car to drive over. People don’t know how to get to Park Barn by public transport from Tongham!

I would understand losing the fun stuff and maybe losing Tongham but not the downgrading of Ash Grange.