City council delays plans to shut children’s nurseries after outcry
PARENTS of children at the largest nursery provider in Leeds have been told planned closures of three sites will be delayed until at least August following feedback.
In December, Leeds Council announced a review of council-managed Little Owls nurseries and children’s centres based upon “sufficiency, need and financial viability”, with plans to save £58.4m in the year ahead alongside £7.4m of agreed savings to deliver the required balanced budget.
Last week, parents were sent letters informing them at least three of the nurseries are set to close – with some believed to be expected to shut by the summer.
The three nurseries identified for potential closure were in Kentmere, Chapel Allerton and Gipton North.
The council told The Yorkshire Post the three sites are set to close “in order to make important savings whilst also having the least impact on nursery provision across the city as a whole”.
However yesterday, the council changed stance and said in response to feedback received from parents and carers following the review, the proposed closures have been delayed until August at the earliest.
This would ensure children due to transition to school in September are not “adversely affected”, the council said.
A spokesperson from Stop the Closure of Little Owls Nurseries in Leeds said: “We are very happy to hear that Leeds City Council is delaying the implementation of proposed nursery closures. We are also pleased to see increased consultation with the parents, carers and communities who will be affected by these propositions.
“We appreciate the challenging financial position in which the council finds itself. But we do not believe that closing nurseries, and looking to privatise others, is the appropriate solution to the current childcare crisis. Little Owls nurseries support families all over the city, including those with children who have additional needs. The affordable, highquality childcare they provide is enabling parents to stay in work.”
Little Owls nurseries provide the highest number of nursery places of any operator in Leeds across 24 centres. According to its website, Little Owls looks after more than 2,900 children aged nought to five each week.
In December, the council said the financial difficulty being experienced across local government “reflects issues being felt nationally as a result of rising costs and demand for services, especially for lookedafter children, those with special care and education needs as well as for adult social care, together with an unfunded nationally agreed pay increase for council staff”.
After previously calling the system of local government funding “broken”, the leader of Leeds City Council, Coun James Lewis, is clear that council services will have to change with the aim of avoiding the financial difficulties being currently experienced by councils around the country.
A 4.99 per cent increase in council tax and higher council rents were also included in the authority's budget proposals along with further building closures across the city.