Leeds: Little Owls nurseries could close as council aims to save £70m

The council says it is facing "difficult decisions" as it considers its 2023-24 budget

Some children's nurseries in Leeds could be closed as the city council attempts to save almost £70m.

Amid rising costs, "difficult decisions" had to be made as part of the 2023-24 budget, the council said.

A range of services, including "a number of the council's Little Owls nurseries" would be examined, according to Labour council leader James Lewis.

A 4.99% increase in council tax and higher council rents are also included in the authority's budget proposals.

Little Owls nurseries are the single largest provider of nursery places in Leeds, with 28 centres across the city.

However, the service ran "at a considerable loss", the council said.

The Little Owls service runs at a "considerable loss" Leeds City Council says

According to Leeds City Council's budget proposals, rising inflation and energy prices, along with higher demand for services and nationally-agreed pay awards, meant the authority faced a £69.8m shortfall in the coming financial year.

Other proposals to balance the books included dimming streetlights, the introduction of parking charges at some parks and attractions and having no council-run bonfires and firework displays, the council said.

Meanwhile, children's services would be reviewed to look at how to "safely" reduce the need for children to become looked after.

If the proposals were approved early next year, council house rents would also rise by 7% and service charges would increase by £3.14 per tenant per week.

The proposed 4.99% increase in council tax included a 2% rise earmarked for adult social care, the council said.

'Challenging year'

Mr Lewis said the budget proposals also included a reduction of 44.4 full-time equivalent jobs (FTE), though he said the council remained committed to avoiding compulsory redundancies.

Since 2011, the number of FTE posts at the council had reduced by 2,812, he added.

Mr Lewis said the authority faced "difficult decisions" and he was aware people were struggling with the cost of living.

"We remain fully committed to doing everything we can to continue to help people, and especially to care for the most vulnerable members of our communities in the challenging year ahead," he added.

The council leader said that the funding of local authorities needed a "fundamental" change as it was "simply not realistic or sustainable for councils like ours to keep finding significant savings year on year".

He said: "We have seen core government funding for Leeds reduced by approximately £263m for each year between 2011 and 2023 yet the need for services remains high."

The budget proposals will be considered by the council's executive board on 14 December, with a final decision expected to be made in February.