Plans For Nursery Fees To Increase In Brighton & Hove

The council is planning to put up nursery fees by 3 per cent to £6 an hour from April – although one of its five nurseries has been earmarked for closure.

And meals would also rise by the same percentage in the next financial year if the changes are agreed by a Brighton and Hove City Council committee.

The increases would be in line with the council’s “corporate rate of inflation” but lower than inflation – or rising prices – in the wider economy.

The proposed changes are set out in a report to the council’s Children, Young People and Skills Committee which is due to meet next Monday (9 January).

If approved, the nursery fees would rise 17p from £5.83 an hour to £6 an hour and meals would go up 8p from £2.57 to £2.65.

The report said:

“The council subsidy for the nurseries in 2022-23 was £907,000 which includes £150,000 of pressure funding.

“The highest permanent subsidies are for the nurseries in Whitehawk and Moulsecoomb where most children just take up their free childcare places and there are the highest number of funded two-year-olds.

“There are also more children with child protection plans and special educational needs and disabilities who need higher staff ratios.

“Disadvantaged two-year olds are entitled to 570 hours a year free childcare from the term after their second birthday and a key priority is to ensure there are sufficient high-quality places for these children.

“The council is funded (by the government) at an hourly rate of £5.57 per hour. This is the lowest rate in the south east and is significantly below the national average of £5.83. The average rate for local authorities in the south east is £5.93.

“All three and four-year-olds are entitled to 570 hours (15 hours a week, term time only) of free childcare. Funding is allocated by government on a national formula.

“The gross rate for Brighton and Hove is £4.76 per hour which is significantly below the national average of £5.15. The average rate in the south east is £5.11.”

If the committee does not vote in favour of the proposed fee increases next week, the council’s Policy and Resources Committee will be asked to settle the matter.

The council runs five nurseries

• Acorn Nursery at the North Portslade Children’s Centre
• Bright Start Nursery at the Old Slipper Baths in the North Laine
• Cherry Tree Nursery at the Hollingdean Children’s Centre
• Jump Start at the Moulsecoomb Children’s Centre
• Roundabout Nursery at the Roundabout Children’s Centre in Whitehawk

The council has proposed closing Bright Start in its draft budget for 2023-24 to save £100,000 a year. The nursery was recently rated “good” with outstanding features by Ofsted, the government’s education watchdog.

Councillors agreed to consider the future of the nursery, which is close to the Prince Regent swimming pool, after parents lobbied a meeting of the full council last month.

But a report on the nursery’s future was not published with the rest of the meeting papers for the council’s Children, Young People and Skills Committee.

The committee is due to meet at Hove Town Hall at 4pm next Monday (9 January). The meeting is scheduled to be webcast on the council’s website.