Tower Hamlets nursery fight

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charge for children.

organisations).

Deputies and matrons would Ellington Street, London N7.

Tom Thorne, the newly "THE RATE of children in care is considerably higher than for any other authority" , says the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.

One in three households are single parents, mainly women, and there are long lists for nursery places.

As well as helping women who work, the nurseries also provide for a lot of children who might otherwise be taken into care.

But at the last full council meeting, £64,000 was lopped off the day nursery budget. There was no discussion, least of all in the local Labour Party, and it was not even put to the Social Services Committee beforehand.

Shadwell day centre, with 35 places, is to be closed completely, and Queen Mary nursery, with 48, has been told it will be moved to a brand new building.

Matron Peggy Nicholls said: "I was told it would be lock, stock and barrel move. When I went to see the new building it was a great shock to me - just one large room, no bigger than the ground floor of our present two-storey building.

'The places will be by half. Mothers will be attempting impossible journeys because the building isn't anywhere near homes, workplaces, tubes or transport.

"It leaves the central part of this borough completely without nursery provision"

At a meeting on Monday August 3rd, parents together with supporters from Shadwell day centre, the Under5s Campaign, community groups, and Labour Party and Trades Council membCoun by Ann MacK inley A CROWD of nursery workers, parents and campaigners packed into the public gallery to watch the Labour councillors at work.

Tory-controlled Oxfordshire County Council was holding its first meeting since the local elections ousted 25 Tories and increased the Labour Group by 16.

Cuts of £2.3 million were forced through, meaning the sack for some council workers and real hardship for those in need of services.

The opposition was ers, resolved to mount borough-wide campaign against all cuts and for no closures of any nurseries.

Experiences of other campaigns which successfully fought nursery closures were heard, with speakers trom Leicester and Oxford.

*Messages of support c/o 36 Bradmore House, Jamaica St, London E1.

warc pitiful. One Labour councillor, arguing for a 10p cut in the price of school meals in place of the Tory plan to raise them a further 10p, pleaded that school dinner ladies "didn't want sympathy from the council, but their backing."

Of course the dinner staff are being offered neither. Nor are they getting any leadership from their union, NUPE.

A letter was read out from the local NUPE saying that members were "dismayed" at the council's recommendations to increase prices and cut staffing levels.