Nursery World - Council 'undercuts' private nursery fees

Private day nurseries in East Dunbartonshire have accused the local authority of driving them out of business by breaking an agreement not to undercut fees. The nurseries claim that a new centre, the Cleddens Learning and Childcare Centre in Bishopbriggs, which cost in the region of 1m to build, has been offering 'behind-the-door discounts' to parents that lure them away from the nurseries.

The nurseries claim that a new centre, the Cleddens Learning and Childcare Centre in Bishopbriggs, which cost in the region of 1m to build, has been offering 'behind-the-door discounts' to parents that lure them away from the nurseries.

The centre, previously known as Woodhill Nursery and based in the grounds of Woodhill Primary School, opened its doors in January. Nursery owners in the group East Dunbartonshire Independent Childcare Providers (EDICP) have written to the council asking for a meeting to discuss the issue but have not yet received a reply.

Patricia McGinty, the group's vice-chair and director of the Bishopbriggs Childcare Centre, said that a parent with a baby and a two-year-old attending the new centre for two days a week would pay 1,960 less a year in fees than at her own nursery and that it was in direct commercial competition. 'We are questioning why East Dunbartonshire spent over 1m when there is a perfectly adequate childcare centre 500 yards away that isn't full.'

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