TWO day nurseries in Tilbury currently run and owned by Thurrock Council are likely to be tendered to the private sector.
Council Leader and education portfolio holder, Cllr John Kent, told Wednesday (11 January) evening’s meeting of the cabinet it was not “something I, or we really want to do, but in the current financial climate it does seem the best solution”.
The Neptune and Little Pirates nurseries have over £60,000 support from the council annually and Cllr Kent told the meeting he had visited both “to see and hear for myself what those most closely involved thought of the plans”.
He said: “The council has obviously been a great provider of these two nurseries in Tilbury – one of them is classed as ‘good’ by Ofsted and the other as ‘outstanding’.
“To be honest, this isn’t something I, or we really want to do, but in the current financial climate it does seem the best solution for the young children in Tilbury now and in the future, and also for the people who work at these nurseries.
“It has been made clear to me that the council would be unable to maintain the necessary level of support and, disappointing as that is, I want the best for Thurrock children and if that means finding someone else to manage and run them, then that’s what has to be done.
“It doesn’t mean I like it, but I am a realist, I know where we are and what needs to be done.”
Cllr Kent explained the council has to ensure there is enough early education provision across the borough and said: “I want that provision to be as high a quality as possible and both Neptune and Little Pirates have been steadily working towards this move for some time.
“We have spoken with staff, parents and other interested bodies and now is the time to tender for an outside, private provider of these services. As we have heard tonight and for past years, local authorities like us are having their finances squeezed ever tighter and we don’t want to see that squeeze negatively affect the service these young children need.
“When I spoke with people at both nurseries it seemed they shared my concerns, but equally they understood the reasoning. We will ensure staff are fully protected through TUPE and we will ensure high-quality provision continues through the tender process.”
He added: “We will also be looking for investment for the future because, while ‘outstanding’ and ‘good’ is Ofsted’s current view we want to see ‘outstanding’ across the board in the years to come – as I have said so many times, we want and we will work towards the best for all our young people.”
The meeting heard that at the previous night’s overview and scrutiny committee there were worries about the amount of money the council spends to keep these nurseries running and whether, because of that, the private or voluntary sector would be able or willing to pick up that tab.
Cllr Kent said: “We shall see, but I have been assured there is already interest in these nurseries and we haven’t made a secret of the reasons why we are doing this. Equally I have been assured that we will make sure enough checks are in place to ensure these two nurseries grow – there is more demand locally; are affordable, it is a very competitive market; and that the nurseries thrive in that marketplace.”
