Councillors pause closure threat hanging over Fife creches and after school clubs
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A full meeting of the council today (Thursday) had been asked to rubber-stamp proposals to "modernise" childcare services in the Kingdom - by closing all authority-run creches such as those in Leven, Benarty, Rosyth and Kelty.
The "commercialisation" strategy would also see lesser-attended breakfast clubs, additional support need (ASN) after-school clubs and the Fife Play Resource toy-lending scheme shut down in order to save £488,000 each year.
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Hide AdCouncil officers say some of the services have been made redundant by the introduction of 1,140 hours of early learning and childcare and others were no longer financially viable.
However, councillors said that some of the plans - including the removal of creches on the grounds that "most families who used this service no longer do" - were short-sighted.
Conservative group leader Dave Dempsey tabled a motion supporting the vast majority of the proposals save for the removal of ASN after school clubs, but members ultimately supported an amendment by Labour co-leader, David Ross, to consider the impact of the plans further before giving them the green light.
Cllr Ross, while acknowledging the work put into the proposals, said there were "fundamental" issues that had not been addressed, including the changes to service demand brought about by the coronavirus pandemic.
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Hide AdHe read out emails he had received from members of the public which he said put across "real people's views" of the impact the changes would have.
"Not enough attention has been given to the impact on families, particularly from our more disadvantaged communities," Ross said.
"We feel it's a budget-led approach. It's more about making savings rather than expanding the service and increasing income."
However, SNP councillor Fay Sinclair, who as ex-education convener oversaw the preparation of the plans, said she was "frustrated" by the amount of scrutiny and the consistent delays to their implementation.
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Hide Ad"This is the result of 18 months of work by officers and, as first presented, reflect the new reality in which we are living," she said.
Cllr Craig Walker, education convener, cautioned against making decisions based on individual case studies - but lent support to those seeking more detail on the effects the new regime would have.