Over the last few weeks, I have had a number of meetings with the leadership team at the Pen Green Centre in Corby in relation to their correspondence with the local authority and the Department for Education around their core funding allocations for the coming years. As someone who has long supported Pen Green and proactively assisted them in successfully resolving various funding issues in years gone by, I am again actively supporting them by pursuing the urgent queries that they have relating to their future funding.
Indeed, when raising these matters with Education Ministers and with North Northamptonshire Council, I have consistently emphasised as the local Member of Parliament, my view that the Government's intentions, dating right back to the discussions of 2016 that I helped to arrange, around its funding for Corby children should be respected and maintained, and that what has been allocated nationally for Corby provision, should continue to be spent here. Suffice to say, I have impressed that the uncertainty around this is causing increasing concern amongst my constituents and is a source of great alarm for some.
As I always have, I will continue to assist in any way that I can in getting to the bottom of this and I can reassure people locally that I know how important this provision is for children and families within our town.