'Tough times' - South Tyneside Council leader reveals reasons why 10 nurseries are being axed
“We’re in tough times financially and we have to make these tough decisions.”
South Tyneside Council leader Paul Mackings outlined the reasons for axing all 10 nurseries amid emotional scenes at South Shields Town Hall.
The council’s new Reform UK cabinet backed a recommendation from officers to axe all of the borough’s South Tyneside Accredited Network for Learning in the Early Years (Stanley’s) centres at a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, September 23, despite pleas for delays in the decision making process made at a special meeting the night before.
Cllr Mackings said he recognised the future of Stanley’s was a “deeply emotive issue for staff, families and the wider community” and acknowledged the “strength and sincerity of the views expressed through the trade union representation, public campaigning and protest”.
The Reform UK council leader said the cabinet had made a “very difficult decision” and “take full responsibility for that decision based on the recommendation made to us”.
Cllr Mackings added: “We’re in tough times financially and we have to make these tough decisions.”
Six of the eight members of Reform UK’s cabinet were present to make the decision and councillor Michelle Fascione, cabinet member for children and families, education and skills, introduced the report.
She said the closure recommendation differed from views expressed by many staff and parents but “must be balanced against statutory, sufficiency, financial, equality, workforce and public interest considerations”.
The senior councillor said legislation does not require councils to be a direct provider “where sufficient alternatives exist” and noted a recent assessment showed there were “sufficient high-quality places to meet current demand”.
The cabinet report said the current Stanley’s service is not financially sustainable and needs significant funding, with the service currently requiring an annual council subsidy of around £1.1million.
Cllr Fascione said a managed transition aimed to “reduce and manage impacts”, with the council working with families and other providers to support families to “get the childcare they need”.
She added that out of the options presented to cabinet for the future of Stanley’s, the closure recommendation was “the only one where the risks are clear and can be planned for.”
The nurseries will stop running from July 31 next year with staff reductions due to be made from December 2026.