Stanley's staff receive redundancy pay details as South Tyneside Council states ‘no decisions’ made
Stanley’s staff have received redundancy pay information from South Tyneside Council as the nursery cuts consultation continues.
Stanley’s nursery staff have been told how much redundancy pay they would receive if South Tyneside Council goes ahead with proposed cuts to the childcare provision.
UNISON officials have stated these are “redundancy notices” and have questioned if the consultation process is “genuine” or whether it is a “tick box exercise”.
South Tyneside Council refutes the claim and says the information is a “routine administrative process” and that should not be interpreted as redundancy notices or that any decisions have been made.
Estimated redundancy documents seen by the Shields Gazette show that Stanley’s nursery assistants could have their employment terminated on December 31, 2026, and nursery officers on August 31, 2027.
The Gazette understands that this somewhat aligns with South Tyneside Council’s proposal to staff, which was presented to them during meetings at The Customs House in June.
The proposal involves closing the Stanley’s provision by July 31, 2027 - with nursery assistants posts “to be deleted” on December 31, 2026 and nursery officer/manager posts on July 31, 2027.
‘We’ll be here right until the bitter end’
Jan Green, UNISON Branch Secretary for the South Tyneside Local Government branch, has revealed that the redundancy information has caused “a lot of upset” for nursery staff.
She said: “The staff are still very worried and apprehensive as they don’t know whether they’ve got a job or not.
“Redundancy notices have been served with figures on them, which has caused an awful lot of upset.
“South Tyneside Council need to take a look at the proposals and study them hard because I’m pretty sure there is a workable solution.
“We are not going to give up on this fight and we’ll be here right until the bitter end.”
Calls for greater transparency
Joanna Taylor, a mum-of-one from Hebburn, who set up the Save Our Stanley’s petition and spearheads the campaign group has previously called for more transparency.
She commented: “Everyone is just shocked that this could be railroaded through so quickly.
“To go from a review in February to now a potential closure is a big step and we want to know what has happened in between.”
Still no decisions made says Council
A South Tyneside Council spokesperson stated: “We are reviewing how we support children and families, with a focus on building a stronger, more joined-up system that helps families get the right support at the right time.
“This work forms part of the Council’s 2026/27 budget, agreed in February, which includes delivering a range of efficiencies, service improvements and income generation across all services.
“Discussions with staff and trade unions are underway, and no decisions have been made at this stage. It would not be appropriate to comment on specific service models or potential changes while this process is ongoing.
“We understand there has been external speculation and that this may be unsettling. However, we would ask people not to draw conclusions at this stage.
“Our focus is on ensuring children and families can continue to access the support they need in their local communities, including looking at how services can be delivered in the most effective and accessible way.”