Birmingham City Council has put forward proposals to re-organise provision across the city which could mean that if a nursery is next door to a children's centre, the daycare will in future be provided at the centre and the nursery building will be used for other children's services.
The GMB union has launched a petition to save the nurseries, calling for places to continue to be offered by the nurseries. It says they provide daycare to some of the city's most vulnerable children.
The union is also balloting nursery nurse members for strike action over the jobs of 48 nursery nurses which are under threat.
However, the council denied that the move will lead to the closure of community nurseries and said the aim is to cover gaps in provision for children in other areas of the city.
The plan aims to save money on overheads and building running costs and the savings will be re-invested in frontline services, said the council.
A Birmingham City Council spokesperson said, 'As previously stated, there are no plans to close the community day nursery service. The nurseries will become an integral part of the children's centres and integrated family support teams, providing support tailored to each family's needs, with more equitable provision across the city.
'There has been formal consultation with staff in all service areas where there are proposed changes to service delivery regarding the realigned services, with trade unions and with partners, and this consultation is ongoing.'
A council report published earlier this year said that under the plans, the 13 community day nurseries would 'deliver packages of support tailored to each child/family's need from an agreed menu. They will be located with, where possible, the Integrated Family Support Teams in children's centres and work to an integrated model of family/parenting support.'
