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xCouncil reverses children’s services cuts as children not consulted
Date: 18th March 2025
Category:
Budgeting, Respect for the views of the child
Falkirk councillors scrapped plans to cut back on early learning and childcare services due to a lack of consultation with children, young people and families.
Falkirk Council planned to introduce cost-cutting measures in childcare services when Independent councillor Laura Murtagh raised concerns over the lack of consultation with children, young people and families and inadequate Equality and Poverty Impact Assessments. The proposals would have seen children moved from private, voluntary and independent settings into local authority settings that were running under capacity. Murtagh said:
“The lack of consultation, the fact that every one of the savings is from children’s services but there is not one peer amongst them, not one child or family consulted, not one service user consulted… as not an exception to the rule but in 86% of what is put forward today: where is the voice of the kids?… it’s nowhere.
How can we mention our commitment to UNCRC (UN Convention on Rights of a Child) Article 12 – where children have the right not just to be consulted but to have their voice heard by decision-makers in matters which affect them….”
Following the decision to drop the proposals, Chief Executive of early years sector body National Day Nurseries Association Scotland, Punima Tanuku, praised the nurseries and parents who attended and voiced their opposition in the council meeting saying “these nurseries are an integral and vital part of infrastructure in Scotland and must be allowed to continue delivering high quality early learning and childcare throughout the year”.