'Fighting council nursery changes is frustrating'

Jon Wood said the review of the 12 nurseries in Leeds had been a "farce"

Parents who campaigned to protect 12 council-run nurseries have criticised a "farcical" review which concluded that only two would be transferred to new management.

Leeds City Council closed three of its Little Owls sites in 2024 and initially said it would pull out of running 12 others to save costs.

After families fought to save the nurseries, it was confirmed last month that only two of the 12 would pass into the private sector while the others will remain open as normal.

Jon Wood, whose child attends a Little Owls setting, said: "It has been needless stress and anxiety. If they had engaged with us from the get go, we might have been much more efficient trying to save the money."

He added: "We are very relieved the process is over, but it is frustrating; we dragged the council kicking and screaming to consult with us.

"We highlighted all the way that private nurseries would not be able to take on the same level of service."

Parents campaigned against proposals to close three Little Owls settings last year.

The council is transferring the Rothwell and Chapeltown sites to private providers, which the authority said would eventually save £500,000 per year.

The new operators will sign 10-year leases for the buildings and rent them for a combined cost of £72,000 per year.

A 5% fee increase was also expected to raise £78,000 per year across the remaining authority controlled sites.

The Shepherds Lane centre, in Chapeltown, is to be taken over by Sunshine Community Nursery, which is rated as an "outstanding" provider by Ofsted.

The Rothwell nursery, on Cornwall Crescent, will be run by Sweet Peas Day Care and Teaching, which has a "good" rating.

Despite the reassurances provided by the review's outcome, Mr Wood said parents feared the nurseries could be targeted again.

"They have been salami slicing Little Owls for years, so there is so much uncertainty that still hangs over us.

"Unless council budgets are rectified, nurseries are an easy target."

Katherine Owen said the review had "cast a shadow" over her child's final year at a Little Owls nursery

The nurseries in Gipton, Seacroft and Chapel Allerton have already closed down. Discussions over the transfer of Little Owls in Hunslet to St Mary's C of E Primary School are ongoing.

Another parent, Katherine Owen, said the review had "cast a shadow" over her child's final year at Little Owls.

"We were really pleased to hear that news because it is the news we have been hoping for, but we have had no idea what would happen for all this time.

"It has made it quite difficult at times, just because everyone has had this question mark hanging over them."

Ms Owen said the campaign would continue despite the review ending.

"It is not really about what we are going to experience now going forward, it is about other families."

She said the privatisation of the two settings was "feared" by campaigners.

"There are still questions that need answers, they have not had all the detail about what is going to happen and we really want to carry on supporting them.

"Let's face it, this could come back on a future occasion."

Iain Dalton has been campaigning for the Little Owls nurseries since last Easter

A Leeds City Council spokesperson said: "The council will work closely with families and staff at Rothwell and Shepherds Lane Little Owls to ensure a smooth transition to the new providers."

They said "a full and rigorous review of Little Owls nurseries" had been undertaken in order to address "ongoing deficits amid the council's increasingly challenging financial position".

They added the council would "retain full control" of Rothwell and Shepherds Lane Little Owls during the transfer process "to ensure no gap in service delivery".

"We will of course seek to ensure, through ongoing focused work, that our directly delivered provision is as effective and efficient as it can be".

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