Child-care threat

Updated November 7 2012 - 2:45am, first published July 20 2009 - 12:20pm
CONCERNED: Cr Peter Cox outside the Playhouse Child Care Centre at Eaglehawk.
CONCERNED: Cr Peter Cox outside the Playhouse Child Care Centre at Eaglehawk.

EAGLEHAWK may be left without essential child-care services if recommendations from a consultant's report are adopted by the City of Greater Bendigo, according to a local councillor.Eaglehawk Ward representative Peter Cox said the report, which has not been publicly released, proposes the Playhouse Child Care Centre be moved to the Comet Hill Primary School site.The City of Greater Bendigo councillor believes Eaglehawk deserves its own child-care centre and is angry at the lack of community consultation."I don't think the community has been fully and fairly consulted,'' Cr Cox said."Someone could move into Eaglehawk in 10 years' time and ask why hasn't it got a central primary school and central child-care services."The amalgamation of all of these services in the one location is a serious issue and unfortunately the decision is being taken in isolation.''Cr Cox said he would have preferred a decision to be taken with an overall view for Eaglehawk over the next 25 years.A meeting will be held at 7.30pm tomorrow at Eaglehawk Town Hall when the City of Greater Bendigo will hold an information session and seek public comment on the issue.Director of community wellbeing Barry Secombe said the report was the work of a joint taskforce with representatives from the YMCA, local and state government agencies and other community groups.He said the report would be released in the coming weeks.Cr Cox said there were positives and negatives with the proposal."On one hand a much more co-ordinated approach to children's services can be achieved, while on the other hand Eaglehawk is left with no central child-care facilities.''

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