Hertfordshire County Council has appointed Hertsmere Leisure as the lead agency in the development of three children’s centres in Hertfordshire.

Lead agents throughout the country are being appointed to identify what services are currently available to children under the age of five and their parents and guardians and what their needs are, before preparing a plan of action. The move follows the implementation of the Children’s Act of 2004 and the Childcare Bill of 2005.

Hertfordshire County Council initially aims to establish around 40 children’s centres in the county but eventually there could be as many as 80.

Hertsmere Leisure, believed to be the only sports trust appointed as a lead agency, aims to achieve children’s centre designation by March 2008. The organisation has already appointed Liz Applin, formerly of Watford Primary Care Trust, as its children’s centres director.

“The challenge of achieving children’s centre designation in three areas is quite daunting but at the same time very exciting,” said Phil Collins, chief executive of Hertsmere Leisure.

“The trustees and executive of the trust felt that involvement in this type of work was not only an extension of our current work with partners in providing children’s services but also enabled us to promote and enhance our charitable objectives.

“We are lucky that the county council is commissioning a purpose-built facility to cover two of the areas while the search is on to find suitable accommodation in the third location. However, the concept is not just about physical buildings but ensuring all those entitled to are aware of and access relevant and high quality services.”