Richard Tice says Reform council showed ‘courage’ in closing 10 nurseries
The decision was met with cries of “shame” from parents and campaigners
Reform deputy leader Richard Tice has said that Reform-run South Tyneside Council had shown “courage” in deciding to close 10 council-subsidised nurseries “to get bills down”.
The move was met with cries of “shame” from parents and nursery workers in the public gallery and force parents to move their children to unsubsidised nurseries where they will likely pay significantly more for childcare.
Geraldine Kilgour, a Labour councillor for Fellgate and Hedworth ward in South Tyneside, told Left Foot Forward that one resident said they are currently paying £400 per month, but that they could now pay around £1,000 per month at a Private, Voluntary or Independent nursery.
The nurseries will close by 31 July next year and will result in 116 job losses.
Reform says closing the 10 council-subsidised nurseries will save £1.1 million a year. The authority needs to make £11.6 million in savings for 2026/27 alone.
Speaking to LBC’s Lewis Goodall yesterday, Tice defended the nursery closures.
The Reform deputy leader stated: “Individual councils have to make important decisions. Leadership is not easy.”
“But having the courage to make important decisions and in order to get the bills down, spend the money properly, means I’ve got great confidence in all of those councillors leading the way,” he added.
“That’s why they voted for us to take bold decisions.”
A review of the future of these nurseries was launched under the then Labour administration in February this year. When Reform took control of the authority in May, the party said it would continue the review.
Kilgour told Left Foot Forward that while the previous Labour administration had launched a review into childcare provision, the idea of closing the nurseries “wasn’t even on the lips of anyone on the Labour group”.
The Labour councillor said that “what they [Reform] should have done was review the service, as we said and look to maximising its capabilities”.
She said that the decision to close the 10 nurseries was avoidable “without a doubt” and called the move “callous and heartless”.
Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward
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