Council defends role in consultation row

Fife Council has come under fire for its consultation on controversial changes to nursery provision.

In response to a Freedom of Information request submitted by Fife parent Chloe Milne, it was revealed the council received 717 responses to the consultation, which took place during November and December 2018.

Ms Milne said given 5,885 requests for nursery places starting this August had been made across Fife, the consultation did not go far enough.

She said: “I am not convinced they had a good representation of working parents in the consultation.

“It doesn’t really fill me with confidence about the consultation – 717 responses doesn’t sound like enough considering the scale of the changes.”

The consultation was circulated as an online questionnaire and Fife Council’s head of education and children’s services, Shelagh Mclean, said the survey was “promoted extensively”.

There has been a shake up of nursery provision across Scotland as local authorities prepare to rollout the Scottish Government’s pledge to almost double the amount of funded childcare offered to parents.

Fife Council has been criticised for how it has gone about the expansion to 1,140 hours a year.

Letters from the council telling parents what nursery places their children have been allocated have started dropping through letterboxes and some parents have been disappointed.

Ms Mclean said: “We are required to consult with parents every two years.

“This questionnaire was promoted extensively using social media as well as being promoted through our own schools, partner providers, out of school networks and partnership links with health and other relevant organisations.

“The responses were used, along with all other information, to support decision making around the future early learning and childcare arrangements to be put in place across Fife.”