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Tuesday, September 7, 2010 |
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Councillors in dispute over childcare costs |
by www.thestar.co.uk - added 28/07/2009 |
POORER families could be priced out of childcare at community nurseries under a proposed shake-up of Sheffield's services for under-fives, Labour councillors claim.
A leaked draft report on the issue recommends the scrapping of policies which allow nurseries to charge parents based on their ability to pay, the party says.
Proposals are to be debated at a council meeting council next week, with the Lib Dems set to argue the Labour claims are "scaremongering".
A review of childcare was ordered after the city's community nursery network said it was struggling to survive as funding was being increasingly directed at Sheffield's new network of Children's Centres.
Labour says the report now recommends a new two tier pricing policy based on the age of the child - which would result in price hikes for hard-up parents.
Currently charges are in three bands, based on the amount of hours parents are working and taking into account whether families are on benefits, in training or involved in higher education.
Labour's spokesman for children Coun Leigh Bramall said he found the draft proposals extremely worrying.
He told The Star: "The current price structure is based on parents' ability to pay. But the new charges based on the child's age are due to mirror the higher costs charged at private nurseries.
"We fear that this would leave many parents priced out of the market for their childcare. The whole situation is especially worrying given the current financial difficulties that many local families are faced with. We are also urging more support should be given to not-for-profit community nurseries in disadvantaged areas of the city which are under threat of closure and which are doing a fantastic job.
"We are urging the Lib Dems not to hike up nursery fees and to think again about supporting our struggling community nurseries."
Coun Andrew Sangar, Cabinet member for Children's Services, said the review of charges related to only seven council-maintained nurseries.
He added: "Unfortunately this is yet another example of local Labour councillors scaremongering.
"While they are correct to point out that a review process is going on at the request of community nurseries, to suggest that this will lead to families being priced out of childcare is simply wrong.
"The group looking at this review, which includes childcare providers from all sectors, will make recommendations to councillors in October.
"We will see what they suggest, however Liberal Democrats are 100 per cent committed to ensuring that nobody will be priced out of childcare." |
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