Nursery cuts backlash grows with petition

Wednesday 30 March 2016

More than 2,000 parents have signed a petition against controversial plans to cut free nursery care for families earning more than £75,000 from September 2017.

The petition was set up less than a week ago when the Education department announced that free nursery places for three and four year olds are being cut for households earning over a £75,000 threshold.

You can view and sign the petition here.

The proposals published last Thursday would see the States stop funding 20 hours of free nursery care from September 2017 for families with incomes over £75,000 – those with incomes under the threshold would continue to receive the free provision.

The department says it’s making the cut because it can’t afford to fund the current scheme and this will save them more than £250,000 per year. Education Minister Rod Bryans said that the universal benefit could no longer be justified as the States cut spending to meet the £145 million deficit.

But Claudia Le Blancq who set up the petition says the proposals are "unacceptable" and will hit working parents and private nurseries the hardest. She's been told by Deputy Louise Doublet, a former teacher who heads the Education and Home Affairs Scrutiny Panel, that it's only funded places in private nurseries that will be denied to those earning over £75,000.

She said: "It is not clear whether places in school nurseries for families earning over £75,000 will be prioritised or guaranteed in any way. 

So in fact the changes will have even bigger adverse implications for working parents than it first appeared and are an example of inexplicable discrimination against private pre-schools and working parents."

Deputy Doublet says the Panel are prepared to take action about the plans unless the Education Minister can justify them at an emergency public hearing he's been called to attend on 6 April at 12 noon at the States building.

Deputy Doublet told Bailiwick Express last week that the level of public concern has been huge and the panel has been contacted by both worried parents and stakeholders in the nursery care sector.

She said the way the announcement was made without Scrunity or the stakeholders having any prior knowledge of it was "unacceptable".

Both Deputy Bryans and Education's Chief Officer Justin Donovan Justin Donovan are out of the Island at the moment and unavailable to comment further.