Iain Dalton, Save Little Owls nurseries campaign
Leeds Labour council has refused to even write to the new Labour government to call for some of the money pledged to open new nursery places – by converting primary school classrooms – to be used to retain these already existing nursery places.
Parents had a deputation to the full council, the first opportunity to do so since these proposals were announced months ago. Parents were joined in providing witness statements by Unison, representing some of the Little Owls workers.
Whilst the Labour council has been determined to see these policies through, a number of small concessions have been won:
- Decisions about potential privatisation on the remaining 12 nurseries go back to the executive board, rather than just a council officer
- The council has accepted that private sector prices are, as our campaign pointed out, around £20 higher than they had initially said
- They have finally agreed to consult parents and carers of children on waiting lists
But this is small change for children who will now suffer the summer disruption of moving to new nurseries, or some parents who have a place for a child at a closed nursery, but not for their other children, who were on the waiting list.
The council’s action also opens the door to even more privatisation of childcare. The campaign has got hold of an email from one nursery chain, proposing not just to buy the sites the council was closing – which the council wrongly claimed was due to lack of demand – but also sites that the council has said will be retained.
Our campaign will not be going away. We are determined to ensure that the Labour council does not destroy what remains of publicly controlled childcare provision in the city.
- Read what we’ve said so far – Little Owls nurseries: Labour backing closure won’t stop campaign
