Government should give Birmingham the cash it needs to look after our second city’s children
Savage Conservative budget cuts mean all of Birmingham’s community day nurseries look set to be privatised.
Birmingham City Council (BCC) - which has suffered more than any other local authority under the Tory austerity project – will now outsource all of the city’s fourteen community nurseries.
The council sparked outrage when they unveiled their privatisation proposals last year.
A GMB-led campaign persuaded the Council had agreed to put an 8-week pause on the proposals while an alternative plan could receive proper consideration
However following the consultation the council has confirmed that cuts to BCC’s budget have been so brutal there is no way to keep the nurseries in house.
These nurseries are vital services which should be kept in the public sector.
But it’s now clear the cuts inflicted on Birmingham City Council have been so brutal there is no way the council can continue the service as it currently stands. We had hoped that the council would look to allocate funding from other areas, but this has not happened.
We now implore the Government to properly halt its failed austerity project and give Birmingham the cash need to look after our second city’s children.
GMB is now working with our members in the nurseries to provide specific training and additional support.
Gill Ogilvie, GMB Regional Organiser
