I AM writing in response to the letter ‘Back our children’s centres campaign’ (Echo, February 10) which contains incorrect statements about Children’s Centre closures in East Dorset.

Children’s Centres in Dorset are not under threat of closure or facing reduced services.

Dorset County Council is the responsible authority and has 23 centres (and five outreach bases) in Dorset (but excluding Bournemouth and Poole) that are at the heart of their local communities.

Giving children the best start in life is one or our priorities.

This is in part met by Children’s Centres which help parents by offering a wide range of free services, such as family activities and parenting support, all under one roof.

By working with schools, health visitors, midwives and the voluntary sector, children’s centres bring together local services – our aim is to make it easy for families to get the help they need.

In April, we will receive our share of the Government’s Early Intervention Grant to help maintain our excellent services for children and families.

We are, however, looking at the management structure of our children’s centres to ensure more consistency across the county.

This has been done in consultation with parents and carers.

TONI COOMBS, Cabinet Member for Children & Young People, Dorset County Council