Little Owls Nurseries: Council to delay proposed closures until at least August due to feedback

Little Owls nurseries provide the highest number of of nursery places of any operator in Leeds across 24 centres.

According to their website, Little Owls look after more than 2900, 0 to 5 year olds each week.

In December, Leeds Council announced a review of council-managed children’s centres and Little Owls nurseries – based upon “sufficiency, need and financial viability”.

The proposals identified ways to save a further £58.4million in the year ahead alongside £7.4m of already agreed savings to deliver the required balanced budget.

Last week week, parents were been sent letters informing them at least three of the centres are set to close – with some believed to be expected to close by the summer.

In a statement released to the Yorkshire Post, Leeds Council confirmed three sites are set to close “in order to make important savings whilst also having the least impact on nursery provision across the city as a whole”.

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The three nurseries identified for potential closure were Kentmere, Chapel Allerton and Gipton North, the council confirmed.

However, on Thursday March 28, the council changed stance and said in response to feedback received from parents and carers following the review, the proposed closures have been delayed until August at the earlies.

This would ensure children due to transition to school in September are not “adversely affected”, the council said.

In a statement released to the Yorkshire Post, a Leeds City Council spokesperson said: “In response to feedback received from parents and carers on the proposals put forward following the review of Little Owls provision, a decision has been taken to delay the implementation of any proposed closures, should they be agreed, until August at the earliest. This would ensure that children who are due to transition to school in September 2024 are not adversely affected.

“We are also confident, through our sufficiency analysis, that this would enable all affected children to be accommodated in appropriate alternative provision, including other Little Owls settings.

“As we have previously stated, we understand the concerns of parents, carers, staff and communities which could be affected by the proposals. These are proposals at this stage and we are continuing to engage with parents, carers and other stakeholders before any final decisions are made.”

In December, the council said the financial difficulty being experienced across local government “reflects issues being felt nationally as a result of rising costs and demand for services, especially for looked after children, those with special care and education needs as well as for adult social care, together with an unfunded nationally-agreed pay increase for council staff”.

After previously calling the system of local government funding “broken”, the Leader of Leeds City Council Councillor James Lewis is clear that council services will have to change with the aim of avoiding the financial difficulties being currently experienced by councils around the country.

A 4.99% increase in council tax and higher council rents were also included in the authority's budget proposals along with further building closures across the city.

A spokesperson from Stop the Closure of Little Owls Nurseries in Leeds said: “We are very happy to hear that Leeds City Council is delaying the implementation of proposed nursery closures. We are also pleased to see increased consultation with the parents, carers and communities who will be affected by these propositions.

“We appreciate the challenging financial position in which the Council finds itself. But we do not believe that closing nurseries, and looking to privatise others, is the appropriate solution to the current childcare crisis. Little Owls nurseries support families all over the city, including those with children who have additional needs. The affordable, high-quality childcare they provide is enabling parents to stay in work.

“So far, this process has felt untransparent and rushed. We are calling for the full proposals, including all the review documents and timeline for decisions, to be placed in the public domain as quickly as possible.

“Any parent who would like to be involved in our campaign to save Little Owls Nurseries can find us on Facebook at Stop the Closure of Little Owls Nurseries in Leeds or email [email protected] .”