Hampshire County Council supports Stubbington Study Centre

Hampshire County councillors have unanimously supported the recommendation to keep Stubbington Study Centre open after hearing the latest pleas to save the venue.

Hampshire 2050, corporate services and resources select committee has gone against officers’ recommendations to forge ahead with plans to close Stubbington Study Centre.

The amendment presented by councillor Graham Burgess urged the committee not to support the officers’ recommendation to close the centre.

Instead, the committee will ask decision-making senior councillors in cabinet to get officers to review any alternative sites that might become available soon.

Furthermore, it also recommended that officers approach district and borough councils in Hampshire to see if they have any land that may offer a suitable site and request an extension of time from the Department of Education (DfE) to consider any alternative site so funding doesn’t lapse.

At the select committee, after hearing pleas from schoolchildren, teachers and residents, cross-party councillors expressed the invaluable site’s importance to children and young people in Hampshire. 

Commenting on the proposal, Cllr Keith House said it was a clear act of “social and education vandalism” given the high proportion of children who benefited from the centre.  “I think we shouldn’t be sitting here this afternoon. With all the pain and anguish we put these residents and young people through because all could be avoided.”

Cllr House said that the county council should have collaborated more with districts and borough councils on a “land swap” that could meet the DfE criteria for the new children’s home.

In support of the amendment, Cllr Stephen Reid said that despite officers recommending closing the site, which is justified in the report, “it has not been proven.”
“As a scrutiny committee, we are absolutely right to say this case is not adequately proven, and further thought is needed.”

Cllr Jackie Porter said that the southeast of Hampshire has the highest levels of deprivation in the county council. If Stubbington closes, “there would be no other children’s outdoor centre in that area”. She added: “Instead, there will be a secure accommodation unit. What message does that send to the young people in that area?”

Cllr Peter Latham said the debate was about closing Stubbington or being prepared to risk losing £60m for Swanick Lodge children’s home.

Cllr Latham said: “Of the two, I’d rather keep Stubbington. I believe that our officers have done tremendous work in the last year in trying and looking at all the options, including talking to the DfE. However, the DfE made it absolutely clear that they wanted us to make a decision by the end of March. It was a red line, and we wouldn’t get the money unless we committed to a site. 

“The position now is that we may lose the £60 million because the DfE is under pressure. “I believe Stubbington is more important. We have, after all, got five years to use Swanick still. Therefore, there is time for this council, if it indeed exists in five years, to find somewhere else and hopefully have the asset, the resources.”

Regarding the public consultation, Cllr Rob Mocatta said that 94 per cent of residents think the council should keep Stubbington open – though the council said demand for children’s homes was rising and alternative outdoor activity centres were available. As well as the consultation, there had also been a petition signed by around 20,000 people and a march from Lee-on-the-Solent.
“We are here as county councillors to represent our residents. It is an overwhelming support to keep it as it is,” he said.
“We have the dilemma of the government’s need to build more secure homes for the most vulnerable. To my mind, there is a nationwide issue that more [children’s] homes are needed throughout the country, not just in Hampshire and not particularly in Hampshire, and therefore, the homes will get built in due course, and suitable sites will be found. 

Cllr Mocatta added that if Stubbington were closed, it wouldn’t be replaced. 
After the debate, unanimous support for the recommendation to keep Stubbington Study Centre open was voted.

Cllr Adrian Collet said: “I hope the cabinet has heard very clearly what we have said and what the deputations said and would take this on board and scrutiny as a really important function.”

Cabinet will make the final decision on the future of the Stubington Study Centre on March 18 though could go against the committee’s recommendation.