Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Why Moray Council is locked in a funding battle with local nurseries

Independent nurseries say they need more money from councils to pay staff the Real Living Wage. Image: Shutterstock
Independent nurseries say they need more money from councils to pay staff the Real Living Wage. Image: Shutterstock

Last week, 35 nurseries across Moray accused the council of breaking national policy for early years.

The campaign group say the council is withholding national funding to fill its own budget gap.

And they warn that without a rates rise, many independent nurseries will have to close their doors completely.

So what exactly is going on? Here’s our whistle-stop tour of nursery funding – and why this is an issue for more than just Moray.

How are nurseries funded?

Nurseries – or early learning and childcare centres (ELCs) as they’re more formally known – are paid by local government.

Council-run nurseries are directly funded by their local authority, with staff wages set in line with national pay negotiations.

However, councils can’t deliver early years services alone. So they work with independent partner providers to meet local needs.

These independent nurseries are paid an hourly rate, which varies from council to council.

Independent nurseries are paid an hourly rate per child to deliver services for the council. Image: Stramash Outdoor Nursery in Elgin.

The rate is meant to cover the cost of paying their staff the Real Living Wage – something that all nurseries must deliver, according to Scottish Government policy.

It should also be enough to cover their overheads, ensuring they’re sustainable.

It’s up to each council to set it nursery rates, based on what it can afford and what it costs to deliver ELC services.

This varies widely according to local needs and geography. For instance, it tends to cost more to deliver services in rural areas.

How much are nurseries paid?

This is where it all starts to unravel. The Fair Funding For Moray’s Children Action Group says Moray Council pays its own staff £14.36 per hour. The Real Living Wage is £10.90 per hour.

A job search for ELC jobs in Moray shows an early years practitioner vacancy with a salary range of £25,127 – £27,426 per year pro rata, advertised in August this year. In July this year, Moray Council was recruiting for a senior practitioner on £28,256 – £30,819 per year.

By contrast, the Moray action group says average wages in the independent sector is £9.90 per hour. This is below the Real Living Wage, but many providers do pay that wage or higher – others are working towards it, in line with national policy.

Nurseries in Moray say they can’t run a sustainable service on their current funding from Moray Council. Image: Stramash Outdoor Nursery in Elgin.

But while independent nurseries pay their staff around the £10 an hour mark, Moray Council only funds them £6.30 per hour.

This leaves a significant funding gap that nurseries say is not sustainable.

What do Moray nurseries want?

Simply, they want a rates increase. The action group has suggested it should be paid £7.43 per hour, and that this rate should be backdated to August 2022.

In a report for its education committee, Moray Council sets out that it currently has a three-year contract with independent nursery providers. This contract runs from August 2021 to the end of July 2024.

The contract stipulates that the council must pay a “sustainable rate per child, per hour”. This rate should take account of inflation and any increases in the Real Living Wage.

There’s some disagreement over language. The contract between Moray Council and independent nurseries says the rate should be “revised” annually, but the council report uses the term “reviewed”.

With the Real Living Wage up 10% and inflation now at 3.5%, nurseries say the rate should increase accordingly.

However, finance and education bosses for the council proposed a rates freeze.

Local nurseries said a freeze is the same as a real terms cut of 15%. They calculate this at £1,288 per child – or £1 million in losses to independent nurseries in the area.

They also argue that since most of the workforce is female, the rates shortfall increases the gender pay gap.

Yesterday, they took their argument to councillors and secured a 5% uplift. It’s less than they wanted, but a start at least.

What does the council say?

Moray Council says its ELC rates are among the highest in Scotland. In 2021, it delivered an 8% uplift in nursery rates, from £5.31 to £6.30 for 3-5 year olds, and from £6 to £7.57 for two-year olds.

It was one of the first local authorities to implement a rates rise, following an Ipsos Mori review which recommended a rate of £7.43.

In doing so, it became the third highest paying council in Scotland.

Moray Council’s ELC rates are among the highest in Scotland.

They say the Scottish Government cut their ELC grant from £10.432m in 2021/22 to £9.359m in 2022/23, so they can’t afford to pay more.

However, at the 11th hour the education committee did agree a 5% uplift, in line with the pay rise given to Moray Council ELC staff.

This takes Moray Council to the top of the table in ELC funding rates nationally.

What’s the national position?

The Scottish Government funds local authorities to deliver 1,140 hours per year of free childcare for all 3-5 year olds and eligible two-year-olds.

Each council receives a ring-fenced grant for delivering that policy, based on how much it will cost to deliver it.

The Scottish Government say its ELC policy is fully-funded, but councils say it falls short of what they need, and they’re left to make up the gap.

Campaigners have rubbished that claim, accusing the council of keeping the money for itself. They say Moray Council ELC staff are paid 30% more than independent providers. This means they often lose staff to better paid council jobs.

Now, they’re appealing to Cosla and the Scottish Government to step in. They say that councils should not be both banker and competitor.

It’s an argument that extends far beyond just Moray. Highland Council also recently bowed to political pressure and agreed a modest interim rates rise for independent nurseries.

What happens next?

Moray Council’s education committee yesterday voted unanimously for a 5% uplift in rates, to be backdated to April 2022.

However, as that decision has budget implications, it will need to be ratified at a meeting of the full council.

In the meantime, Moray campaigners say they’re grateful for the support – but they will keep fighting for more.

More from the Schools & Family team

Kinmylies pupil’s holiday spirit is helping fight loneliness this Christmas

Inverness councillor says families are waiting up to four years for ADHD diagnosis

GALLERY: Evening Express Christmas Concert performers impress P&J Live audience

 

Conversation