Parents to lose a week's childcare in nursery move

The decision to move the Bright Start Nursery has upset many parents

The decision to move a popular nursery to a new location in East Sussex will be disruptive for children, according to parents.

They are backing a campaign against Brighton and Hove City Council's decision to move the Bright Start Nursery from the old Slipper Baths, in Barracks Yard, to the Tarner Family Hub.

Families will have no childcare for a week when staff and equipment move to the new site in Ivory Place from 23 August to 2 September.

The council said the bank holiday weekend was chosen to minimise disruption, and claimed the move will save the nursery which could have otherwise closed.

Ed Armston-Sheret, who has a baby daughter at the nursery, said he is frustrated he will lose a week of childcare and be moving to what he believes is a lesser service.

He said “The nursery at the Tarner Hub won’t be the same Bright Start. It won’t have any provision for under-twos and will have lost a third of its staff.

“We had the open day at the Tarner Centre. As a building it’s fine, but the space is fraction of the size of Bright Start and the outdoor space is quite small.”

A petition started by parents, titled Save the Baby Room at Bright Start Nursery, needs 1,250 signatures to trigger a debate at a full council meeting, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Parents at the Bright Start nursery want to stay at their current home

Council deputy leader Jacob Taylor said: “Every single parent currently at Bright Start can be accommodated in the new building on the same hours and same number of weeks, including those children currently under two.

“Despite massive real terms cuts in funding from government, this Labour council are very proud to be maintaining all seven council-run nurseries in the city – a vital investment in early years.

“Most other councils stopped running nurseries years ago, including East and West Sussex.”

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