Nurseries throughout the UK are facing an anxious wait for details of how cuts of up to 25 per cent to each government department will play out in the childcare sector.
While nurseries were left largely unscathed by the first round of spending cuts, which took place in May, many are bracing themselves for pain over the forthcoming Comprehensive Spending Review, due to be published on 20 October.
This will set spending limits for every government department from 2011 up until 2015.
While the coalition Government has confirmed it will continue with some Labour policies and initiatives, including the statutory implementation of the Early Years Single Funding Formula and the extension to the free entitlement, question marks remain over projects such as the Quality and Access grant, which was set up by the previous government to help settings improve their buildings, outdoor areas, ICT and facilities for disabled children. The three-year-funding scheme ends in March 2011, but there are fears that unspent money will be withdrawn (news, Nursery World, 22 July).
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