BURY'S Re:d Centre has been saved from massive budget cuts following a dramatic U-turn by town hall bosses.

It means the Morley Street centre for disabled children and their families will keep going at full funding until next March at least, instead of having its budget halved to £235,000.

Campaigners, some of whom took their case to Downing Street, are jubilant but also fearful that they might be in the same position next year.

Council leaders say they took the decision because the charity NCH, which runs the centre, is having difficulty recruiting staff due to the uncertainty. They also cite the "spiralling" court costs of defending their decision in a High Court judicial review.

They warn that social services spending will have to be reviewed: The Bury Times recently revealed that the budget for children's services was heading for a £2 million overspend.

Councillor Wayne Campbell, leader of Bury Council, said: "It was becoming clear that the uncertainty over the budget because of the court case and associated matters was causing operational problems for NCH in fulfilling the current contract in terms of retaining and recruiting staff and so on.

"We are also concerned about the time and money being spent in the courts over this matter so we have decided to pull out of the court case and reverse the decision.

"However, the council is determined to bring social services spending under control. Social services budgets have benefited considerably from year on year above inflation increases and are in line with the proportion determined by the Government for Bury. Our spending on social services is around £43 million - 20 per cent of the council's budget - and if we wanted to exceed that, the council tax would have to bear the burden."

Bury resident Trevor Lunness, whose daughter Rebecca attends the centre, said: "I welcome the decision to reinstate the funding, but it's unclear whether this is just for the current financial year or for longer. I look forward to seeing constructive dialogue in future. It would not help anybody to be in this position again next February."

And Claire Nolan, whose autistic son Joseph also goes there, added: "I would not put it past them to do it all again. But we've learned a lot from this and we will be ready for them if they start."

They paid tribute to campaigning solicitor Yvonne Hossack who fought the matter through the courts, as she did with the council's previous decision to close old folks' homes.

Mrs Hossack said it was a pity that such legal challenges should ever have been necessary.

"As a former care provider, I was shocked at the numbers instructing me that their children had never had a care assessment and that so many, in my view, have been under-provided for," she said.

"The authority has been slow to take on board that under-provision places children and their families at risk and that the short-termism of cuts actually leads to greater cost. The closure of facilities does lead to expensive out-of-borough placements having to be made.

"Bury Council must make sure that the children's needs are properly provided for rather than relying on legal arguments, poor budgetary control and spin to resist."

Ms Eleni Ioannides, executive director of children's services, said: "I'm pleased that families will continue to get services they want for the next nine months, but it doesn't take away the problem. We will have to begin consultations as soon as possible about what we do after March."

London trip so worthwhile

DIDN'T we have a lovely time the day we went to London!

The day was an arduous trip for a coachload of disabled youngsters and their parents and carers, but the trip ended with good news - while they were at the seat of power in Downing Street, talks had been going on in earnest at the highest political level back in Bury.

Elton resident Joanne Moran, whose son Alex (8) uses the Re:d Centre, turned the visit into a real family day out: the two of them were joined by her husband Tony and daughters Emily (6) and Holly (4). Alex spent most of his time sitting on MP Ivan Lewis's knee during the meeting!

"Meetings with MPs, going to the House of Commons, it's all quite new really," she said. "We don't do this sort of thing normally, but it was very good experience."

Centre user Claire Nolan was one of the lucky six allowed inside the security gates to present a petition at Number 10. "It seemed totally unreal, seeing all these people, but really great in the way it turned out."

Also at the Prime Minister's door was Geraldine Greene of Hurdles, which also runs the centre. "We are relieved and delighted with the council's decision. Parents and carers have been stretched to breaking point at the prospect of losing these services."

Mr Lewis met the delegation and arranged meetings in the Commons. He congratulated the council for having the "decency" to end the dispute, adding: "I am also delighted that they are committed to working with Hurdles and other voluntary groups in order to create a new, genuine partnership between the council and the voluntary sector.

"The council has made mistakes. They also have no choice but to tackle the serious financial pressures facing social services. Much of the overspend is due to the fact that the council has responded compassionately to the needs of vulnerable people."

Councillor Bob Bibby, leader of Bury's Conservative group, also went on the coach trip, and through him the group managed to meet Tim Loughton, shadow minister for children.

"We hope that our intervention at the new leadership level had an influence on their change of views," he said, "and we hope to be party to any future negotiations on the renewal of the contract."

Lib Dem spokesman, Coun Vic D'Albert, described the decision as "tremendous", but added: "I call on Bury's senior leadership and management to learn crucial lessons from the appalling handling of this traumatic episode. We call on Bury Council to ensure the continuation of the Crossroads voucher scheme contract so that this valuable service continues as well."