After weeks of protests by parents over threatened loss of services, Lambeth council said last week that it intended to transfer three of its nurseries over to the voluntary sector in order to cut expenditure in the year 2004/05. But a council spokeswoman later confirmed that bids were also being sought for the settings from private providers.
The council issued the statement after parents and children joined playworkers and local residents outside Lambeth town hall on 5 February to protest against closure threats to nurseries, One O'Clock clubs and adventure playgrounds in the borough.
Bo Ebuehi, the mother of a three-year-old boy who attends the Kennington Day Nursery, wrote to the council more than two weeks ago with a letter signed by 14 parents asking for clarification, but said she has not yet received a reply. She said Lambeth council had also closed a nursery six years ago which her daughters had attended, 'so I know from personal experience how disruptive closure can be'.
Ms Ebuehi said she was concerned about how any change in the running of the nursery would affect her son, who has special educational needs. 'At the mo- ment he has access to a speech and language therapist but I am worried he would lose this.'
Lorraine Bucknor, whose two-year-old daughter attends the nursery, was one of a number of parents who attended the education scrutiny sub-committee meeting in Lambeth town hall on 5 February. She said, 'All they were talking about is transferring over to a voluntary or private provider. But they didn't say which nurseries or when. I'm wondering what will happen if they don't find someone in time.'
Following the meeting, a spokeswoman for the council said, 'Although a reduction in LEA funding of nursery places is being considered, there is likely to be an expansion of nursery provision in the borough, with 700 new nursery places becoming available from March 2004 as a result of the Neighbourhood Nursery Initiative funding.'
Councillor Anthony Bottrall, the executive member for education, said, 'What is the real reason nurseries have to be council- run?' He added, 'There is no immediate urgency and officers are working on this. It is always difficult to make these transitions and a lot of care is being taken to minimise the upset.'
He confirmed the council had decided not to close any adventure playgrounds or One O'Clock clubs, but 'we are focusing on ways of transferring their management to other organisations'.
