Parents could be forced out of work due to childcare funding
Parents who commute into Edinburgh could be forced out of jobs, over a lack of access to funded childcare places in the city's private and independent nurseries.
Local authority chiefs plan to "phase out" access to the city's independent nurseries, meaning those who travel to work from areas such as Fife, East Lothian, West Lothian and Midlothian will only be offered funded places in council-run nurseries.
It has sparked a backlash with parents warning they are "under substantial stress" over the plans, which would see funding withdrawn for 1140 hours of private nursery care for three and four-year-olds.
Campaigners have hit out over the proposal, warning it will have a "major impact" on parents.
Now a group of eight MSPs have written to the council leader demanding a rethink and branding it a 'backwards step' particularly for mums getting back into work
The council says the move would encourage parents to take up council nursery places instead, amid a significant funding shortfall.
But many parents work standard office hours and need the private nursery provision to be able to make drop-off and pick-up times near their work.
Private nurseries can offer more flexibility as they are often more likely to be open for longer hours and outside of term time.
One mum who works in Edinburgh said "I would like to be able to use a council run nursery, but that only seems to be suitable for families where both parents don't work as they have more flexibility to pick up children earlier. The nursery hours in council places are just not adequate. We have two kids and need to be able to get them to nursery near our work. Our childcare bill even with the subsidy is big."
It comes after a report to the council's education committee meeting in January warned of a £6m funding shortfall that would require the authority to "reshape the model of delivery". Officials also claimed the "quality of provision" within some partner providers was "variable" and often below the national standard. The report sparked fear as a proposal for the council to take over all funded provision, including for Edinburgh residents – but the council has denied this.