A college-run nursery in Stornoway is to close amid “significant” staffing problems.
UHI Outer Hebrides has made the decision to shut An Cotan Childcare Centre at Lews Castle College in Stornoway after “repeated attempts” to resolve staffing issues.
Hannah Ritchie-Muir, principal and chief executive of UHI Outer Hebrides, said: “It is with deep regret we have made the difficult decision to begin consultation on the proposed closure of our An Cotan Childcare Centre.
“Significant staffing challenges have forced us to reduce the service in recent months and despite repeated attempts to fill gaps, we can no longer guarantee a reliable service to local parents.
“We have also been subsidising our childcare centre for several years and it is simply no longer sustainable for us.
“We wish to sincerely apologise for the difficulties this will cause local parents.
“Childcare provision is a long-standing issue in our community, and we have been in discussions with Comhairle nan Eilean Siar to explore alternative options for local parents. These discussions will continue.”
‘Address the lack of childcare’
Ms Ritchie-Muir stressed UHI is working to try and resolve the problem, but unless a solution is found, the centre will close next month.
She added: “Parents have been informed and a consultation has started with staff, who we are working with to support.
“If following consultation, the proposal goes ahead, An Cotan Childcare Centre will close from 5pm on Friday April 28 unless a viable alternative solution can be found.
“We will also approach our partners through the Outer Hebrides Community Planning Partnership to see how we can work together to address the lack of childcare provision, particularly for 0–2-year-olds, in our community.
“We will do everything we can to support this and would welcome discussions with any childcare providers who may be interested in taking over or running a childcare service from our building.
“The viability of our college-run nursery has been a concern for several years and is not connected to our planned merger with UHI North Highland and UHI West Highland, which will create a more sustainable organisation with combined capacity and resource.”
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