Homework and breakfast clubs face closure in Leicestershire County Council cuts
Out-of-hours homework clubs and breakfast clubs are set to shut.
Leicestershire County Council already planned to shave £66 million from its budget and lose 650 posts over four years.
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Leicestershire County Council leader David Parsons
But details of new spending cuts revealed today mean a further £12.5 million is to be cut from the budget in this financial year alone.
More than half of this is coming from the Children and Young People's and Environment and Transport departments.
The council says it has identified 30 positions which are likely to be cut, however some council officers have privately speculated that the number of extra job losses could be as high as 120.
Out-of-hours homework clubs and breakfast clubs, which are funded by the Government, will lose their funding, causing many to end immediately.
Teams of support staff who are drafted in to help failing schools improve will have their funding cut by £200,000.
Teen advice and support service Connexions will lose £290,000, while £250,000 will be cut from Building Schools for the Future administration costs after the project was scrapped by Education Secretary Michael Gove.
The county's teenage pregnancy prevention team will lose £68,000 and lose two-and-a-half staff positions, while youth services, and school activities for dyslexic children will also be scaled back.
One of the largest cuts will hit school IT services. The £1.2 million Harnessing Technology Grant helps fund e-mail services, hi-tech learning facilities and broadband connections to schools. Individual schools will have to fund IT investment from their own funds now.
The cabinet meets on July 27 to consider how to deal with the reductions.
County council leader David Parsons said: "We recognise that the new Government has to tackle the budget deficit and is therefore ending or scaling back many of the previous Government's initiatives.
"The county council is taking urgent measures to deal with this loss of funding and attempting to reduce the impact. But it is inevitable that some services will be scaled back."
The estimated total Government grant reductions are £5.6 million for children's services, £2.1 million for the environment and transport, £300,000 for community projects, £300,000 from the chief executive's department, £300,000 from the business growth incentive scheme, and £4.2 million from local area agreement reward grant.
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by Martin, Leicestershire County
Tuesday, July 20 2010, 11:06PM
“Dave - you must have either had sub-standard education opportunities, or failed to take advantage of the opportunities he did have to come out with such an ignorant view. I hope you won't be at the front of the queue to gripe when our present and future generations of children do not have the academic, social, and other skills to continue fuelling our economy and help fund public services you might require.”
by Sue, Oadby
Tuesday, July 20 2010, 4:20PM
“So Dyslexia support is being cut. I have been voluntarily helping parents for many years to try to obtain good education for their children. I had hoped with the proliferation of so many 'outstanding' schools that I would no longer be needed but it seems to be the opposite. i usually have the summer holiday free but i have already been contacted by two parents. I really hope the teachers will use some of the holiday to READ Neil Mackay's book 'Removing Dyslexia as a Barrier to Achievement' as there is a copy in every school in the county. Oh dear it is the holiday time so they won't be able to get to the book that has now been in the school for 3 yrs. Come term time I don't expect they will have time either. Self help group meets at Wigston Library every 2nd Wednesday of the month 4pm-5pm next one is August 11th. New one starting at Oadby Library 28th July 4pm-5pm”
by Scott, Leicester
Tuesday, July 20 2010, 4:08PM
“It is not good, either way you look at it, the childcare costs for my son are £500 per month which means its hardly worth my wife going back to work, even though they are trying to encourage mums back to work earlier it doesn't make it easy, its not about whoever can afford it, homework and breakfast clubs are also a safe place for children to be cared for whilst parents start and finish their graft on a day to day basis as most employers aren't flexible on start and finish times. Dave from Leicester really needs to pull himself out of the dark ages”
by Dee, Thurmaston
Tuesday, July 20 2010, 3:21PM
“Dave, Leicester :
This sort of thing has nothing to do with breeding and feeding. It has however, got everything to do with more learning opportunities being taken away from the children
My grandson goes to a homework club, not because he has a lot of siblings (he has 1 baby brother), but because he ENJOYS learning !!!!!”
by Peter, Wigston, Leicestershire
Tuesday, July 20 2010, 3:17PM
“In that case Dave, far more equality over pay is required. Increase the pay for the lowest paid to £10 an hour and decrease or more heavily tax the grossly overpaid, especially any with obscene bonuses. Then everyone can afford to pay to look after their children properly.”