A Plaid Cymru MS has raised in the Senedd the uncertain future of a nursery that has provided support to profoundly disabled children for more than three decades.
Peredur Owen Griffiths, who represents South Wales East, highlighted the threat to the nursery at Caerphilly Children’s Centre which faces closure without financial commitment from the Labour-run Caerffili County Borough Council.
Their specialist pre-school nursery caters for children with disabilities, developmental delay and additional. To continue to operate, this facility needs a service level agreement from the council as they cannot apply for larger, long term grant funding without a financial commitment in.
Peredur has learnt that the centre has been requesting an agreement for the last five years without any success.
Reserves held by Enable – the charity that supports the nursery – have been used to fund the funding shortfall they operate on but this money has dwindled to the point that redundancy notices will have to be issued by the end of the month ahead of closure early next year without financial commitment from the council.
A letter sent by Peredur to the council on the matter on November 21 is still awaiting a substantial reply.
During Business Questions in the Senedd, Peredur said: “The centre has been requesting an agreement for the last five years.
“I have also heard that requests for a meeting on this matter have not been answered or acknowledged by the council in the last year.
“The situation is now critical and they face issuing redundancy notices to staff at the end of December unless something changes.”
He added: “Are you disappointed that party colleagues in power at Caerffili are jeopardising the health and mental well-being of the most vulnerable with their lack of engagement and lack of financial commitment?
“Can we also have a government statement on provision for children with disabilities, developmental delay and additional needs in Wales and the need to protect these services?”
In response, Trefnydd Lesley Griffiths MS advised Peredur to write to the council.
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