Probe into closure of £245k-grant tots’ nursery

AN INVESTIGATION has been published into the closure of a nursery which received £245,000 worth of taxpayers’ money.

Sprouts Nursery, in Rhosddu Road, Wrexham, closed its doors in September 2017 despite being given £155,000 in Welsh Government funding, as well as about £90,000 from Wrexham council.

It led to a scrutiny committee being asked to examine the reasons behind the local authority’s decision that the nursery was unsustainable, which it made in a meeting held behind closed doors amid claims it was losing £5,000 a month.

The council has now admitted that there are lessons to be learned from the loss of the service, which provided full day care for up to 40 children after it opened in 2015.

In a report, Cllr Phil Wynn, lead member for education, has highlighted concerns over the lack of analysis carried out before a business plan was submitted.

He said: “The Childcare Sufficiency Assessment (2014) had identified that a number of parents reported that they would appreciate childcare at hours outside of current childcare provision in the area.

“It was proposed that Sprouts could go some way to improving this situation.

“Whilst the business case makes clear links with the evidence from the CSA, it does not include any additional or further research e.g. with the childcare market to strengthen the initial evidence gathered.

“Had more detailed analysis been undertaken, it may have provided additional evidence to be considered alongside the evidence within the CSA, and inform the decision-making about Sprouts.”