Special meeting to look into nurseries consultation in North East Lincolnshire
Great Coates Village Nursery, Scartho Nursery School and Reynolds Day Care were all proposed for possible closure
A much-criticised council consultation into the possible closure of three nurseries of North East Lincolnshire will be reviewed by councillors on a scrutiny panel next week in a special meeting. The Children and Lifelong Learning Panel of North East Lincolnshire Council will look at the consultation in its entirety.
Great Coates Village Nursery, Scartho Nursery School and Reynolds Day Care were all proposed for possible closure, pending a consultation. It was extended in July, and then scrapped, with all three centres guaranteed to be open for the 2023/24 school year.
The consultation process was even labelled “totally unacceptable” by the council’s leader, Cllr Philip Jackson. He also told full council in July the cabinet was not told when letters were first sent out to staff and families about the consultation.
At its meeting in July a week after the consultation was scrapped, the scrutiny panel agreed to hold a special meeting as soon as possible. This will now take place on Wednesday, September 27, at Grimsby Town Hall, and will be public.
The nursery consultation will be looked at in its entirety, including:
How it came about
Revenue implications
The future sustainability of the nurseries
Wider public interest
A report has been published on the council’s website, which councillors on the panel will consider. It outlines the circumstances behind the consultation, including concerns about budget deficits at all three sites, and the latest available occupancy levels.
The report shows occupancy levels increased in proportion at all three sites in spring and summer this year, compared to autumn last. This summer, Reynolds had 75 per cent occupancy level, Great Coates 73 per cent, and Scartho 54 per cent.
Initial assessments have also found all three are in need of refurbishment and adaptation to be “fully utilised, viable and importantly, an attractive choice for
more families”. Reynolds is estimated to need around £150,000 “light touch refurbishment”, Scartho about £500,000, and Great Coates around £800,000. Great Coates and Scartho were originally Victorian builds that have been adapated over time.
“It is fair to say that there was a degree of public opposition to any change to the service,” the report states. Petitions against each proposed closure numbered together more than 4,200 signatures.
However, while the consultation was scrapped in light of the opposition, it “also brought forward positive proposals and ideas from other stakeholders
which enables a wider consideration of the issues”.