Council to delay plans to close three Grimsby nurseries

Great Coates Village Nursery, Scartho Nursery and Reynolds Day Care were at risk of closing. North East Lincolnshire Council have now said they will be open for the new school term in September.

Author: Laurence GriffinPublished 16th Jul 2023

The council said the closures were necessary because the nurseries are under capacity, losing money and would require ÂŁ1.5m in improvement works.

The public consultation was already pushed back once after the council received over 1,500 responses to the plans. They now say they will take time to discuss with staff, parents, goveners and residents before deciding the future of the nurseries.

Lyndsey Downes, Independent Councillor for Freshney Ward said of Great Coates Village Nursery: "It's an integral part of Great Coates Village life. It doesn't have a shop or a pub so the nursery is one of the focal points of the village."

She has said despite the council's claim, there are 19 families on the waiting list to send their child to the nursery. She added that residents do not understand why improvement works would cost so much.

Speaking before the council's latest announcement, she said: "At the moment staff don't know whether they've got a job or whether they should be looking for another role but they all feel a sense of wanting to stay on and support the nursery in the hope that it can be turned around and stay open."

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