The deadline to close a centre for disabled children has now been extended.

Nascot Lawn Respite Centre will not be closing in January as previously announced by the Herts Valleys Clinical Commissioning Group.

This is ahead of a judicial review where the health executives would be taken to High Court for failure to consult with the families.

Children are taken to the centre for a couple of days a month to give their parents (who act as full-time carers) a break.

Although the news buys parents a bit of time, it does not mean the centre will stay open, and staff from the centre have already had to find alternative employment as the centre was initially set to close in October.

The CCG was taking away the £600,000 a year in funding as it has been challenged by NHS England to find £45 million in savings this year, and argued the service provided a social rather than a medical need.

As the children who use the centre have varying degrees of medical need, however, there has been no figures released on how much the group is expected to save.

If the group does wish to stop funding the centre, it seems that they will need to start the consultation process, where those affected will be given the first chance to officially stand against the decision.

Parents initially found out about the closure by receiving a letter in June with the resource expected to close on October 31, but this had to be delayed as medical assessments of the children’s needs had not been completed.

It appears that these assessments have still not been completed.

A petition has been signed by more than 15,000 people and the issue has been argued in the House of Lords.

County Councillor Mark Watkin, Lib Dem opposition spokesperson for children’s services said: “This is a cynical move by Herts Valleys CCG.

“They knew they would lose the Judicial Review which would have laid out exactly how the decision had to be taken, and instead will bend the rules as much as they can to see the end of Nascot Lawn.

“These are desperate families with seriously ill children whose lives are being treated as if they were items on a balance sheet and this has changed very little from their perspective.

"All of the progess made is a testament to the families for fighting to keep the centre open, and their extremely hard work has been incredible."

County Councillor Nigel Bell responsible for childrens' services for Labour said: "If this means that the CCG will continue to fund this service then obviously it is fantastic news.

"When you think about all of the heartache and the stress that the parents have been through over the past three months, it just feels so unnecessary.

"The families have been so good about everything that they have had to go through and they have fought a good a fight."

Watford MP Richard Harrington said: “I’m delighted that Nascot Lawn Respite Centre will remain open for now.

"This is great news and a real victory for the families who have been campaigning with me. Nascot Lawn is a fantastic local service and a lifeline to so many families.

"Today I received a response from the Chairman of the CCG and I’m pleased to confirm that families will not face losing this service in a few months’ time.

"Although this is very welcome news, there is more work to be done to protect this service for our local community.

"I want to see a long term solution and that’s what I will working towards over the coming months.”

Angelina Murphy, mother of one of the children who attends Nascot Lawn said: "It is still an uneasy time for us as parents and staff do not yet have any details from the CCG.

"There is still an issue of funding, which they were adamant about in the past, and have said that they will not bow to political pressures.

"Satnam Kaur and Emma Turner were brave enough to proceed with legal action and have their children's medical records made public, which is what has brought us another stay of execution."

Herts Valleys Clinical Commissioning Group have been contacted for comment.