Walsall nursery decision a ‘political stunt that caused uncertainty’

Walsall Council’s cabinet agreed to move on with plans to close Stanley’s Nursery in Birchills Street, which was costing the authority £138,000 a year to run.

The decision was originally made on July 15, but opposition Labour and Liberal Democrat councillors called in the proposal, forcing a special scrutiny meeting on August 3.

During that debate, the members who called it in said closing the last authority-run nursery in the town would hit struggling families hard in one of the borough’s most deprived areas.

They also argued the ruling Conservative administration hadn’t taken into account lessons learned from the coronavirus outbreak in making the decision.

But bosses hit back, saying a decision to close the nursery after attempts to outsource it failed was first put forward in 2015 and again in 2017 when the opposition were in power.

They also said it wasn’t a statutory service and there were plenty of nursery places available in the town for the 57 children to be moved from Stanley’s.

Reviewed

At cabinet on Wednesday, August 12, children’s services portfolio holder Councillor Tim Wilson said Labour ward members Lee Jeavons and Tina Jukes did not take part in the consultation process.

He said: "We have reviewed the decision and it is my belief we made the right decision originally.

"All the call in has done is delay the decision for staff who, over the last few weeks, should have been looking for alternative employment and applying for jobs in September.

"Instead, they had to wait for the outcome of this meeting and decision which I don’t think is acceptable because nothing new came forward.

"The opposition made no suggestion as to where the money would come from within the budget, which was disappointing also."

Walsall Council deputy leader Adrian Andrew said: "It seems as though it was nothing more than a political stunt that created more uncertainty for a number of people in a time of great uncertainty."

During the consultation, which started in February and was extended due to the lockdown, parents expressed concerns over the planned closure arguing it will unsettle their children and even force them to give up work.

At the meeting, Walsall Liberal Democrat group leader Ian Shires urged bosses to reconsider but accepted he had been part of an administration that considered closing the nursery.

He said: "The call in recognised the fact that yes there is a history in respect of the decision but it’s about admitting that sometimes you make mistakes.

"There are decisions that are made based on the evidence there at that particular point in time.

"This is different in that something different happened half way through – Covid-19 did intervene in this particular decision."