Shropshire Star comment: Will these latest council savings do the trick?

Perhaps more pertinent to the everyday lives of Salopians is the question of what it is not going to do next.

You may find yourself having to pop along to your local village hall or community centre, or asking public-spirited folk in your area who are reliable volunteers, to find out what the council is not doing.

Because in a number of cases the buck is being passed to local communities, or the manner in which a service is delivered is being radically changed.

Into the radical change category is now coming the delivery of children's services, in which a major shake-up is being proposed which the council says would save large amounts of money.

With the financial constraints being imposed on councils nowadays it is imperative that they find cost-effective ways to deliver what they do.

Value

Under these particular proposals the council's Sure Start children's centres could close and family support would be reorganised. There would be a move away from dedicated bases, and parents could meet in places like village halls and coffee shops.

The council says its new model would provide the best value for money and "better benefits for children and families."

There again, you do have to wonder whether the council would have chosen to make these changes if the financial pressures upon it were not so heavy. If it ain't broke, you don't fix it, is generally a good rule of thumb.

As there is now a six week period of consultation, the public is going to have its chance to express a view on the changes, which include establishing Early Help bases which would be in existing children's centres or in local community venues.

Generally the suggested policy signals a move away from having dedicated buildings, and taking advantage of local venues. However, buildings are, to coin a phrase, strong and stable, fixed points to which people become accustomed. Ditch that model, and you are looking for suitable alternatives, which in some places will be easier than others, and introduces the inevitable long-term uncertainty which comes with the services not having their "own place."

So now we wait to hear what the public and professionals think. Their assessment will probably be governed by the amount of faith they have in the council's claim that these proposed changes will perform the neat trick of making things better while saving money.