Cost-cutting to close final four leisure centre crèches

Published on Wednesday 25 November 2009 08:35

EDINBURGH Leisure is to close the four remaining crèche services it operates in the Capital, just over a year after parents campaigned to keep them open.

The company has said that unless an alternative service provider can be found, the remaining crche services at Edinburgh Leisure-managed venues will close by March 2010.

The decision has been blamed in part on the huge cut-backs being made by Edinburgh council, which funds the organisation.

The council needs to make 90 million of savings in its budgets over the next three years.

It was also suggested that the crche services had not been well used in the last year.

The news will be a crushing blow to parents who campaigned successfully to keep the crches open last year.

Currently, Edinburgh Leisure operates crches at Ainslie Park Leisure Centre, Drumbrae Leisure Centre, Portobello Swim Centre and Gracemount Leisure Centre.

Edinburgh Leisure chief executive Keith Jackson said: "The decision to close crche services has been taken as a necessary response to an anticipated reduction in funding of 12 per cent over the next three years.

"None of the parties involved in this process wants to take this action. However, acting now to make these cost efficiencies will enable us to continue to protect the future of sports and leisure services for the long term. "

Mr Jackson added that the company was still in a "strong position" to provide sport and leisure services for people in Edinburgh.

He said crche services were heavily subsidised, at a cost of around 12 per visit. In addition to that, he said, the crches received around 200 visits per week, which it was deemed was too low to maintain the service.

The company said staff and customers were being informed of the decision, and pledged to work with them in the coming months to find alternative provision.

Last year mothers fought to keep crches open at Edinburgh Leisure centres, despite the council insisting they were an expensive burden on limited resources.

Concerns were raised that mothers who relied on exercise as a way of getting out the house and meeting people in the same situation would effectively be shut out, because many would be unable to afford alternative, more expensive, childcare.

In a statement, Edinburgh Leisure said it "remains committed to ensuring provision for under-fives to have fun and stay active independently of their parents, through our programme of activities, including sports coaching, under-fives events and supervised soft play sessions throughout the year".