Community nursery management committees in the beleaguered London borough of Hackney have been asked by the council's early years department to revise their admission criteria and fee structures. The council said it would like community nurseries to offer up to 30 per cent of their places free to children in need. But pressure group Friends of Hackney Nurseries has expressed concerns about the implications. The group's spokeswoman, Gail Chester, said, 'Who is going to pay for all these "free" places? Community nurseries survive on a grant. If they give 30 per cent of their places free they will have to put fees up for the other places, which means the nurseries would have to close.'
Community nursery management committees in the beleaguered London borough of Hackney have been asked by the council's early years department to revise their admission criteria and fee structures. The council said it would like community nurseries to offer up to 30 per cent of their places free to children in need. But pressure group Friends of Hackney Nurseries has expressed concerns about the implications. The group's spokeswoman, Gail Chester, said, 'Who is going to pay for all these "free" places? Community nurseries survive on a grant. If they give 30 per cent of their places free they will have to put fees up for the other places, which means the nurseries would have to close.'
