TOWN Hall chiefs at Warrington are to make a last ditch effort to save a day nursery in one of the borough’s most deprived areas.
Westy Nursery is the only registered full day care provider managed by the borough council – but has required subsidising by almost £1 million over the last four years.
One attempt has already been made to persuade a private sector company to take over the nursery but, despite 20 
organisations originally expressing an interest, only two submitted tenders, one of which was withdrawn at the final stage.
As a result, the tendering process was discontinued.
Deputy leader of the council Keith Bland (pictured) said: “We don’t want Westy Nursery to close. It is in one of Warrington’s most disadvantaged communities..
“We have to do something to make it more attractive to the private sector.”
The council face two options – closing the nursery and saving about £228,000 a year or reducing its size to make it more attractive to the private sector.
Closure would leave about 76 families needing to make alternative childcare arrangements and also result in an after school club for Alderman Bolton and St Augustine’s primary schools closing. Twelve staff would lose their jobs.
The second option would involve reducing the number of childcare places from 36 to 25, increasing fees and expanding the service to include taster sessions for two-year-olds and some additional places for 3-4 year-olds.
Council officers believe this may make the nursery more attractive to private firms.
Members of the council’s executive board have agreed to pursue the second option – but also that if no third party provider can be found the nursery will automatically close.
Officers are also to investigating the possibility of the council obtaining additional funding from the Government’s Children’s Premium Initiative, recently announced by the Deputy Prime Minister.
Last ditch bid to save day nursery
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Gary Skentelbery
Experienced journalist for more than 40 years. Managing Director of magazine publishing group with three in-house titles and on-line daily newspaper for Warrington. Experienced writer, photographer, PR consultant and media expert having written for local, regional and national newspapers. Specialties: PR, media, social networking, photographer, networking, advertising, sales, media crisis management. Chair of Warrington Healthwatch Director Warrington Chamber of Commerce Patron Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Foundation for Peace. Trustee Warrington Disability Partnership. Former Chairman of Warrington Town FC.
3 Comments
Disadvantaged community? Keith Bland needs to have a walk along the Ship Canal from The swing bridge to the locks and look at all the new housing.
Mr Bland wants to tell Clr Wheeler to stop sticking her nose in, as it cost’s the people of Warrington money ie: Gulliver’s Building of the 80 Bedroom Hotel and a new home for the Burtonwood Association’s Museum. She has been told twice not to take it further but she ignores the Council and the people of Warrington may have to pay Cost up to now of £70,000 not to mention when it was first blocked five years ago by her which ran into Thousands of pounds and again the people of Warrington had to pay it. This money could have been spent on the services that need it the most.
New housing does not mean that an area is not disadvantaged in some way… it just means that PRIVATE DEVELOPERS have bought some spare land cheap and built on it to make money for their own pockets !! So do you want them to close the nursery or try and keep it open or couldn’t you care less as you simply just have and an issue with anything the council do or say either way. 🙂 🙂