Nursery World - PLA wants watchdog on councils

The Pre-School Learning Alliance is calling for an 'independent monitoring function' to ensure local authorities work in partnership with voluntary and private childcare providers. PLA chief executive Steve Alexander said, 'We don't want it to be an ombudsman, rather a consumer watchdog, and it must have independence, so it needs to be at arm's length from the local authority.'

PLA chief executive Steve Alexander said, 'We don't want it to be an ombudsman, rather a consumer watchdog, and it must have independence, so it needs to be at arm's length from the local authority.'

In its response to the Childcare Bill consultation, the PLA said the monitoring function would support local authority officials to implement the Government's proposed statutory duty on councils to deliver the childcare parents need.

It warned that evaluating the efficacy of partnership after services were developed would be 'too late'.

It said, 'Funding will have been allocated and, in a worst- case scenario, voluntary and private sector provision may have closed. Central Government must monitor partnership from the outset and invoke appropriate measures where commissioners disregard partnership working.'

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