Dame Caroline Dinenage, Member of Parliament for Gosport, has welcomed a decision to approve the location of a specialist secure welfare children’s home at Henry Cort Community College.
Hampshire County Council’s Conservative Cabinet today approved the plans which will now require sign-off from the Department for Education, following opposition from campaigners, MPs, and councillors to the Council’s original plan to locate the site at Stubbington Study Centre.
Caroline wrote to Hampshire County Council stating her opposition to the original proposals in a letter dated 14 January and raised further concerns and suggestions on 21 January. She joined local Fareham Borough Council Councillors to urge residents to respond to the consultation on 24 January, whilst also raising her concerns about the proposals in a column in the Daily Echo on 7 February. A petition urging the Council to reject proposals to close Stubbington Study Centre got over 17,000 signatures.
The latest decision marks the end of the search for a location for a secure children’s home. Henry Cort Community College was vacant after a separate decision to relocate the school to a new site in North Whiteley.
Responding to the decision, Caroline said:
“Hopefully this closes the chapter in the fight to save Stubbington Study Centre. We knew there were other, better options in Hampshire to house a secure children’s home.
“This decision works in everyone’s favour.”
ENDS
For more information contact [email protected]
