Brighton and Hove City Council put forward a proposal to close the 50-place, year-round day nursery on 9 January, citing a ‘budget deficit of £19 million’ next year, which means it has ‘no alternative’ but to reduce some of the services it provides.
Despite recognising the ‘detrimental impact’ the closure will have on families, children and staff, the council says that building repairs are needed which will cost in excess of £500,000, and this is ‘not feasible nor cost-effective’.
It also cites that there are 47 alternative providers within a two-mile distance from the setting, including five maintained nurseries or nursery classes.
But parents of children attending the nursery ‘refute’ the rationale set out by the council for the closure and believe that it will ‘deprive the city of an essential service and further disadvantage the city's vulnerable population’.
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