ANOTHER poor Ofsted report makes for grim reading for the council after Central Link Children’s Centre was branded ‘inadequate’.

The news comes a week after the regulator warned the council they must improve their children’s care services.

Among the key findings of Ofsted inspectors were that not enough was done to promote the centre on Westfield Street and criticised the ‘governance, leadership and management’, saying that they are not being held to account.

They also said that the local authority is not doing enough to help managers set measurable targets and parents, including those identified as in most need, are not involved in the development in the service.

However they did find strengths in the service which had been classed as ‘good’ in a previous inspection in 2011.

Despite a period of ‘intense upheaval’, the newly appointed managers developed a team focussed on improving the lives of local families.

They also stated that volunteering was strong at the centre.

The council has assured families with children at the centre that they are already strengthening its procedures.

Sue Murphy the council’s cabinet member for schools said: “We are under no illusions that big improvements need to be made at Central Link, but the fact is that we have had to make huge savings throughout the service.

“We have been forced to make major changes to the way we operate and this has inevitably resulted in some disruption. New ways of working have been introduced and the issues this has caused have obviously been highlighted by Ofsted.

“However I can assure parents and carers that the improvements we are making will help Central Link to deliver a service that’s committed to improving outcomes for local families.”