The Fire Station Community Nursery in Stoke Newington, a not-for-profit setting run by a committee of volunteers, was awarded the funding to pay for a refurbishment and renovation of its building and has already spent £40,000 on preparatory work. The renovation would have included building a raised playdeck over its back yard, which would have provided more outdoor space for the 45 children who attend the nursery and pre-school.
Anne-Marie Lawrence, manager of the Fire Station Community Nursery, said, 'We have been located on the first floor of this building for 20 years and we have never been able to achieve an outstanding grade from Ofsted because there are things that we just can't do. For example, we can't offer wheelchair access because we are based on the first floor and we do not have a lift, plus we only have a very small outside area. We have 45 children here every day and 45 children cannot use that space. These things do hinder us.
'We had already paid for two architects and had had plans drawn up and received planning permission. This has cost £40,000 so far. It will be money down the drain if we do not receive funding to carry out the rest of the work. We are trying to find funding from elsewhere and at least if we do, then the plans are already in place.
'We are based in an area where parents really need our help. That is why we are full.'
A spokesperson for the Learning Trust, a not-for-profit company that is responsible for running education services in Hackney, said, 'This is part of the Government's austerity measures. No contractual commitment was put in place and we are required to surrender back funding to the Department for Education.'
Reports of cuts to capital funding are emerging from all over the country after local authorities were told by the Department for Education to put on hold any funding not already 'fully committed' to settings in July.
The DfE is currently in the process of notifying local authorities of their revised allocation (see Analysis, page 12).
Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Pre-School Learning Alliance, said, 'News of these cuts is really starting to filter through. What is interesting is that some of the settings that are going to miss out on the funding are a perfect example of the Big Society that we keep hearing about - they are community settings run by parents from the community.
'It's also not just about this year's funding, it's about what is going to happen in the future to these settings. I haven't heard any politician reassure these settings and say it's okay, we will support you.'
