Sheffield City Council is proposing closing some of its children's centres and ceasing funding for childcare providers as it looks at ways to save 3.5m to deliver the free childcare places for two-year-olds.
The Labour-run council says it has been forced to make harder choices than anticipated, after millions of pounds worth of additional cuts have been made from already reduced budgets.
According to Sheffield City Council, funding available for early years services has been reduced during the last two years with further cuts of £6.8m expected to their Early Intervention Grant in the coming financial year.
In order to save £3.5m, the council is proposing a reorganisation of early years services, including closing some of the city’s 36 children’s centres to create 17 children’s centre areas and discontinuing the funding of childcare grants to 16 private and voluntary settings that was intended to develop their infrastructure.
The council says that the money saved through the childcare grants will be used to provide free early education for two-year-olds.
The proposals follow a two-year review of all early years services, in which parents and carers demanded more flexible, higher quality services to suit their needs.
In May, Nursery World reported that three children’s centres in Sheffield were at risk of closure because of cuts to council funding.
Councillor Jackie Drayton, Sheffield City Council’s cabinet member for children, young people and families, said, ‘It is heartbreaking for me to have to bring forward these proposals. This is certainly not something I came into this job to do.
‘But the sad truth is we are only in this situation because the Tory-led Coalition Government has made draconian cuts to the council’s budget taking money away from children’s centres. Nick Clegg is giving with one hand but taking money away with the other. His flagship policy of free early learning is not additional money, it is funded from money directly taken from existing budgets that pay for childcare subsidies and children’s centres.’
She added, ‘The Coalition Government's spending cuts have forced the council to make savings of £130 million in the past two years, with further cuts to come next year. Sadly on top of this they are now imposing a huge £6.8 million cut to money targeted at providing services to support young people and families. As the Government has targeted this cut directly at early years services we have been left with no option but to make these changes.’
According to Sheffield City Council, funding available for early years services has been reduced during the last two years with further cuts of £6.8m expected to their Early Intervention Grant in the coming financial year.
In order to save £3.5m, the council is proposing a reorganisation of early years services, including closing some of the city’s 36 children’s centres to create 17 children’s centre areas and discontinuing the funding of childcare grants to 16 private and voluntary settings that was intended to develop their infrastructure.
The council says that the money saved through the childcare grants will be used to provide free early education for two-year-olds.
The proposals follow a two-year review of all early years services, in which parents and carers demanded more flexible, higher quality services to suit their needs.
In May, Nursery World reported that three children’s centres in Sheffield were at risk of closure because of cuts to council funding.
Councillor Jackie Drayton, Sheffield City Council’s cabinet member for children, young people and families, said, ‘It is heartbreaking for me to have to bring forward these proposals. This is certainly not something I came into this job to do.
‘But the sad truth is we are only in this situation because the Tory-led Coalition Government has made draconian cuts to the council’s budget taking money away from children’s centres. Nick Clegg is giving with one hand but taking money away with the other. His flagship policy of free early learning is not additional money, it is funded from money directly taken from existing budgets that pay for childcare subsidies and children’s centres.’
She added, ‘The Coalition Government's spending cuts have forced the council to make savings of £130 million in the past two years, with further cuts to come next year. Sadly on top of this they are now imposing a huge £6.8 million cut to money targeted at providing services to support young people and families. As the Government has targeted this cut directly at early years services we have been left with no option but to make these changes.’