Nurseries suffer hardship
NURSERIES face severe hardship or even closure because of inadequate government funding for free nursery places, according to the Federation of Small Businesses.
The Federation says the Government’s code of practice on free nursery education for three and four year olds obliges nurseries to provide 12.5 hours of education, funded by local authorities, but the rates the authorities are paying are well below the cost of the education. FSB regional chairman, Sheffield businessman Tony Cherry, said: “Both central and local government is failing to recognise the true cost of this Code for nurseries and they appear to be blaming each other for the consequences. What we are seeing time and time again is small businesses being compelled to subsidise Government social policy and act as an extension of government departments.”