I completely understand Jan Andersen's predicament (Letters, 18 January) and agree that it is only the introduction of substantial new funding from the Government that will keep some neighbourhood nurseries and children's centres viable.
The truth is that in many areas, the creation of neighbourhood nurseries and/or children's centres has caused an over-provision of places and there are not enough children to go around. In my area of Stoke-on-Trent, the local authority freely admits that the Government forced them to create such over-provision. Consequently, it is only the reduction in places that will lead to viability, and in many cases funded provision will only survive at the expense of existing (and usually private) provision.
The question is whether the Government can afford to prop up these centres for as long as it takes for the private provision in the area to fail - an inevitable consequence of trying to compete with subsidised settings.
Ironically, the private sector is also hanging on in the hope that such funding will not be forthcoming and it is the neighbourhood nurseries and children's centres that will fail.
In this waiting game, the biggest concern of all is the potential for a simultaneous failure of funded and private provision, which will lead to a collapse in the market, often in the deprived areas where quality provision is most needed. This is already starting to happen in Stoke.
Watch this space.
* Brian Cooper, Meir Park Day Nursery, Stoke-on-Trent
