The 13 staff at the Hartlepool College of Further Education's nursery have been told that their jobs are being axed and the childcare facility closed at the end of July because of a cut in the college's budget for adult education.
Similar reasons have been cited for the closure of a nursery at Burnley College in Lancashire, where parents are waging a vigorous campaign for it to be reopened. They have argued that the closures fly in the face of Government policy to get them into work through training and help with childcare.
Gail Bennison, who has been manager of the Hartlepool nursery for five years and teaches nursery nurses at the college, said the proposed closure will be a blow to the whole of the town, as it provides childcare not just for college students but also term-time employees, such as teachers and school support staff.
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