Council blamed in row on grants

02 June 2004

A local authority that refused to let a private daycare provider administer the nursery education grant on the grounds that it wanted three- and four-year-olds to take up surplus places in the maintained sector has been condemned by the Government.

Knowsley Council on Merseyside told Lorraine Moorcroft that the Hunts Cross facility she opened in Halewood last year would not qualify for the nursery education grant. She already operates the grant at another nursery in Knowsley and one at Huyton in Liverpool.

A spokeswoman for the Department for Education and Skills said, 'Knowsley LEA have a legal duty to provide a free place to all three- and four-year-olds in their area. The LEA is operating against our guidance, which clearly states that they should not refuse funding to providers on the grounds that there is already sufficient provision in the area.

'We have told the LEA that we are not happy with their current decision, and discussions are continuing.'

The DfES guidance is contained in Paragraph 79 of its code of practice on the provision of free nursery education for three- and four-year-olds 2004-05, which came into force on 1 April. A spokeswoman for Knowsley Borough Council acknowledged that the authority's decision was 'contrary to guidelines from the DfES', but said the council was carrying out an audit and review of childcare in the borough.

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