Cleethorpes nursery closures review examined at public meeting

An "unacceptable" council consultation on plans to shut three nurseries in Cleethorpes will be scrutinised.

Great Coates Village Nursery, Scartho Nursery School and Reynolds Day Care were set to close pending the review.

The plan was halted following protests, with the nurseries guaranteed to be open for the 2023/24 school year.

A report examining the consultation process will be reviewed by a scrutiny panel in a public council meeting on 27 September at Grimsby Town Hall.

The report - which shows more than 4,000 people signed petitions against the proposed closures - highlights concerns about budget deficits at all three sites.

It also includes figures showing the proposed cost of refurbishment at each facility.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said initial assessments had shown Reynolds needed around £150,000 for "light-touch refurbishment", Scartho about £500,000, and Great Coates around £800,000.

The threat of closure of the three nurseries sparked a number of protests by parents, with the consultation process labelled "totally unacceptable" by the council's leader, Councillor Philip Jackson.

Councillor Margaret Cracknell, the council's portfolio holder for children and education, previously said it was the "strength and breadth of feedback" which had led to the consultation being halted.

However, the report states: "While the consultation was scrapped in light of the opposition, it also brought forward positive proposals and ideas from other stakeholders, which enables a wider consideration of the issues".

The Children and Lifelong Learning Panel of North East Lincolnshire Council will examine the consultation process.

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