A councillor has urged East Riding Council to consider what families could lose if Hedon Family Hub closes and its services move to other community venues.
Mid Holderness ward councillor Samantha Christon-Whyte has called on cabinet members to visit the former children’s centre before considering proposals for its future on October 20.
Hedon is one of four family hubs recommended to move to an alternative community delivery model, alongside Beeford, Hessle and Howden.
The council says the proposals follow an eight-week consultation with families and professionals, which explored expanding outreach provision and using venues including schools, libraries and church halls.
But after visiting the Hedon hub this week, meeting staff and seeing its facilities, Cllr Christon-Whyte questioned whether moving individual services would preserve the support families receive under one roof.
She said: “Before I went in, I knew services were proposed to be delivered differently. What I hadn’t appreciated was just how much the centre itself contributes to those services.
“This isn’t simply a room where somebody turns up for an appointment. Families come through the same door at different stages of their child’s life. They get to know the building, the staff and the other support that’s available.
“You can move an individual service into a school or community building, but can you replace that whole environment?”
Cllr Christon-Whyte said staff had described how links between services weakened when midwifery appointments moved away from the centre during Covid.
She said: “A mum coming through the door to see her midwife becomes familiar with the place and the staff, so she might later return for breastfeeding support, baby groups or help as her child develops.
“That’s the bit I don’t want us to lose without properly understanding its value.”
Staff also explained that the building hosts supervised family contact, prompting questions about where this would take place if it closed.
Cllr Christon-Whyte said: “We need to think about the child involved. Is a room being made available somewhere else really the same as having an appropriate, familiar and private environment?”
She also stressed that the hub serves families beyond Hedon, including residents of Mid Holderness who rely on surrounding towns for services.
She said: “Hedon Children’s Centre may have Hedon written on the door, but that doesn’t mean only Hedon families walk through it.”
Responding to the concerns, East Riding Council said: “Children’s Centres have become Family Hubs this year, and it provided an opportune time to look at how the council provides services and support to families.
“An eight-week consultation with families and professionals has taken place to understand what is working well and what could be improved. The consultation also asked for views about expanding outreach provision and using a network of community venues, such as schools, libraries and church halls, particularly in some of our more rural communities.
“Children’s Scrutiny considered the proposals in September and the findings from the consultation, along with proposals for how support is provided to families at four specific locations – Beeford, Hedon, Hessle and Howden – will be discussed by the council’s Cabinet later this month.”
Cllr Christon-Whyte is writing to cabinet members ahead of the meeting, urging them to see the hub for themselves.
She said: “Walk through the door, speak to the people delivering these services and see what is there.
“Then ask the question I’m asking: will what council officers are proposing genuinely give families the same or something better?”
