MEMBERS of St Helens Council’s school forum have been assured that cuts to education will not affect an early years children’s disability service.

The Department for Education (DfE) provides local authorities with six funding streams that together form the Early Years block of the Dedicated Schools Grant. In 2018-19 this will make up £10.675.

From 2018-19, local authorities must plan to spend at least 95 per cent of the funding streams relating to three and four-year-olds, an increase from the 93 per cent requirement in 2017-18.

What this means is that less funding will be retained for the delivery of centrally provided services.

During a meeting of the schools forum on Thursday, members asked whether the changes would affect the Bridge Centre.

The centre, based in Roper Street, provides a specialist service to children from birth up to the age of five with a range of disabilities, complex health needs and learning difficulties.

Stephen Webb, business support manager for People’s Services, said: “We don’t know that at this moment in time, obviously the reduction in funding will translate into a pressure.

“Obviously if there is less funding available from the Dedicated Schools Grant, then savings will have to be identified or additional resources from elsewhere, and that’s still currently being considered.”

However, when pressed again on the issue, Mr Webb said were no plans to change services at the Bridge Centre.

He said: “At this moment in time there are no plans whatsoever by the authority to reduce services at the Bridge Centre.”

From 2019-20, all local authorities will be required to have a universal base rate for all childcare providers in their local early years single funding formula.

DfE data shows that 106 local authorities have already implemented a universal base rate.

St Helens Council intends to introduce a universal base rate of £4 per hour, which represents an increase to the hourly rate paid for all providers, from 2018-19.

The council has proposed to keep the two-year-old education entitlement at the current hourly rate (£4.96), which would allow for five per cent to be retained centrally.

Members of the schools forum approved the proposed allocation of the 2018-19 Early Years block of the Dedicated Schools Grant.