High-rise nursery move is 'purely based on safety'

Councillors were yesterday asked to approve recommendations by the council's health and safety team to move children from Westfield Court Nursery - situated on the top floor of an eight-storey block in Gorgie - amid serious concerns about their fire escape route.

But the proposal caused significant debate at the education committee meeting when opposition councillors - particularly members of the Labour party - accused the administration of an "amazing coincidence" given that they recently announced proposals to close two other city nurseries.

Cllr MacLaren insisted that the decision to decant children from Westfield Court to Tynecastle and Calderglen nurseries was purely based on health and safety grounds and nothing to do with the education department's rationalisation plans.

She said: "I think Labour have acted appallingly this afternoon. I don't know where their conscience is for the safety and well-being of these young children.

"If something did happen - an explosion, or fire or gas leak - we would not have a legal leg to stand on and neither should we.

"We would be taken through the courts backwards, forwards and inside out."

Parents with children at the nursery - which first opened in 1953 - were informed last week that council chiefs wanted to move their children from the building after a health and safety inspection raised concerns about evacuation procedures.

Suspicions were immediately raised by parents and politicians alike given the timing of the announcement, just weeks after bosses revealed plans to close High School Yards and Princess Elizabeth Nurseries.

Councillor Eric Milligan - who himself attended the nursery when it first opened - called for an independent report by the Health and Safety Executive on the safety of the nursery after questioning the council's motives.

He said: "There is nothing unusual for the council when they get advice from an official that they don't like to get a second opinion.

"I think you don't have to have a suspicious mind in order to, from time to time, have your suspicions. I think we are entitled to a second opinion."

Cllr MacLaren responded to his comments by saying Cllr Milligan believes the nursery should be "some kind of monument to Milliganism".

She added that education director Gillian Tee was not actually required to take the issue to the education committee and could have taken the decision herself to remove children on the nursery based on the health and safety advice she received.

But as councillors were meeting to debate the proposed closure of the two other nurseries, she decided to give them the chance to discuss the issues at Westfield Court.

The city's Tory group, meanwhile, called for education bosses to go out to public consultation on the permanent closure of Westfield Court too, but that was rejected in favour of moving the children to alternative premises as soon as possible. It is expected that they will be moved by the end of November.

Consultation over closures

COUNCILLORS agreed to put proposals to close two city nursery schools out to public consultation.

City chiefs want to close High School Yards and Princess Elizabeth nurseries in a bid to save 200,000 per year.

They say the nurseries are under-occupied and that the areas surrounding them are well served by other nurseries.

But parents argue their staffing levels have been reduced over the years and that more children would like to attend if they were able to.

Around two dozen parents and children turned up to yesterday's education committee to try to persuade councillors not to support the closure plans.

But members of the education committee voted to put the proposals out to consultation, which could result in both nurseries closing next June.

Education director Gillian Tee said: "Both nurseries offer high-quality provision.

"What this is about is moving children potentially into provision that's of equal quality and also making savings.

"We are looking at the best use of our resources in order to support quality across all of our early years estate."

A public consultation into the proposals will now take place from October 26 to December 7.