Campaigners hoping to save the Bright Start Nursery in Barrack Yard from cuts have claimed that Labour’s plans for childcare nationally contradict the actions of the Labour administration on Brighton and Hove City Council.
According to a report in The Times, Labour, if in government, is planning to fund thousands of new nursery places by encouraging councils to set up nursery provision in existing school buildings.
However, campaigners claim that the policy stands in contrast to the actions of the council, which has halved the number of places at Bright Start Nursery.
The parents and carers have called on the council to reconsider the plans, which will see the nursery moved to Tarner Family Hub in Ivory Place, and instead move the nursery to St Bartholomew’s School, which the council is looking to close.
However, the campaigners claim this suggestion “has not been properly investigated by the council”.
Kiran Flynn, a spokeswoman for the Save Bright Start campaign, said: “It was so hard to find a nursery place for our baby and I know we are not alone, so I think childcare is going to be a central issue in the next general election.
“We are really confused by the different messages coming from the Labour Party. The idea of expanding childcare and locating nurseries in schools is a good one. In fact, it’s exactly what we’ve been suggesting.
“Brighton and Hove Labour don’t seem to have got the message. At the moment, they are trying to move Bright Start into a much smaller space and cut the number of children who can attend.
“This will make it far harder to expand nursery provision if more funding becomes available in future.”
Labour’s plans for new nursery places for under-fives are part of what the party claims will be a “modernised childcare system” from the end of parental leave to the end of primary school.
Councillor Jacob Taylor, deputy leader of the council, said: “The central issue is that the current Brightstart building is in poor condition and would need significant money to repair it.
“We needed to find a suitable new building to rehouse Brightstart – that’s the Tarner Family Hub, which is very nearby and is co-located with other vital services for families.
“This is in stark contrast to the Green Party approach – they proposed the outright closure of Brightstart, with no alternative.
“Our nursery policy is entirely consistent with national Labour priorities – we are one of the few local authorities in the whole country that still maintains a significant number of council-run nurseries, and we are fighting hard to maintain that.
“When we get a Labour government, we hope to be able to expand nursery provision across the city.”
Source link
[Featured]
[Just In]
