Consultation on the proposals to close five nurseries across Salford is to begin in just over a week says Salford Council.
The five, Little Hulton Nursery, Belvedere Nursery,Winton Nursery,Higher Broughton Nursery and Barton Moss Nursery,are coming under scrutiny after the council announced last week that it had to save £11.2m in this year’s budget.
Councillor Lisa Stone, Lead Member for Children’s Services at Salford City Council said:
“We have very reluctantly put forward a proposal to review the future of our five excellent local authority run day nurseries, after facing a potential hole in the budget of £1.75m. This situation is a direct result of government changes, which reduce the use of Dedicated Schools Grant for funding council services. The nurseries cost £3 million to run but we only receive £1.5 million in income from charges. The government changes mean we can no longer afford to subsidise the running costs of the five nurseries in the city by £1.5 million.
“The City Mayor has written to the government as the change in funding is having a severe impact on Salford. He has outlined the desperate position the government has put us in, with seven years of austerity which has halved the council’s funding. Now these changes in how we can use the dedicated schools grant mean we have to find further savings in a budget which has already been cut to the bone.”
Before any decision is made, a formal 90 day consultation will run from 26th February until 28th May. During this, the council welcomes and encourage proposals from all parties (parents, staff or the voluntary, independent and private sector). The council will support solutions which don’t need long term, ongoing financial support from the local authority.
Councillor Stone continued: “All five nurseries are classed as ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted and are run by passionate, committed and dedicated workers. We are devastated to be forced into a position of having to consider closure due to yet more Government changes to local authority budgets. We are committed to supporting anyone who has alternative, affordable proposals to keep the nurseries open. (During the consultation period, the nurseries will continue to operate as usual).
“The nurseries provide 327 childcare places. This is around 5% of the total 7,200 childcare places in the city. The Dedicated Schools Grant funds a range of targeted services for vulnerable children and families, such as children centres, speech and language, parenting support, safeguarding, support for families of children with very complex needs and disabilities, special educational needs and disability support and training for all of the other childcare settings across the city as well as support to all settings to achieve and maintain good or better Ofsted ratings.
“If we do not find an alternative, cost neutral solution, or close the nurseries, we will have to make cuts in other vital services that are provided for thousands of children and families across the city. If the nurseries did close, we would work with every family to find alternative provision.
