A GROWING SCANDAL is emerging over the state of care for children under five. After a stream of government reports on battered children, the Department of Health has now thrown the responsibility for any increase in child care onto voluntary groups and "existing resources" simply mean mothers getting together.
Authority Avon Bolton buckingnamshire Cambridgeshire Croydon Cumbria Derbyshire Caline East Sussex Mamoshire Havering Isles of Scilly Kent LancasniTE Northumberland oxiorosnire Redbridge salon Somerset SUTIOIK Trafford West Sussex Wiltshire COLLEGES FIGHT BACK The fight against cuts in nursery provision has already led to action in two colleges.
At Middlese Polvtechnic. where the nursery was only estabashed as the resuit of a student occupanon a coupie or yeds apor students and staff have now taken over the nursery to protest al a massive increase in the charges for looking after the children of women working or studying at the college. One woman student, for instance as beine asked to pav charges amounting lo more than her total annual grant. As we went to press, the sirin had peen extended to take in the administrative offices as well.
Meanwhile, student union policy at the University of Fast Anglia is that the University should be completely responsible for the nursery, including its financing. The CIA has had a nurvery and play proup since 1971, both of which are used by stall, students and campus workers. bot are now unoce Bica due to alleged lack of finances. The Joint Shop Stewards committee on the site is actively involved in the Nursery Cam- which the DHSS recognises may Amount not Allocation yet spent 267,443 267,443 107.000 74.000 9b.0UU 165,000 115,000 195,000 100,000 120,000 50,000 147,500 147,500 165,300 105. SOU 412,500 122,500 107,500 195,000 155,000 552,500 552,500 70,000 30,000 2,500 2,500 00300 409.00U 364,910 7,910 OLL SUU 115,640 115,640 134.115 129,775 95,000 95,000 145,000 145,000 135,890 135,890 255,000 218,600 69,375 69,375 102,500 87,500 122,000 122,000 Photo are under way by local authorities to strangle even this limited provision. In 1975 central government made provision for £9 million to be spent on nursery education. In response to a question in Parliament, figures were given which showed that one-third of this had not been spent by the local authorities to which it was allocated (see accompanying table).
It is clear from this that despite protestations about education cuts, some authorities have tailed to take advantage of the limited finance actually provided. Some of them have hidden behind the excuse that demand for day nurseries is falling. However the DHSS itself admits that the demand amongst mothers, whether employed or not, covers a third of all under fives.
Increased charges What the local authorities are doing, in fact, is to increase charges to such an extent that child care is placed outside the budget of working class and single parent families; demand drops, and nurseries close.
The trend is quite clear. Nursery education is being phased out in Britain. As unemployment mounts, the need to service women in the labour force becomes irrelevant. Battered children, oppressed women and all the other aspects of the crisis of the family are washed away in a flood of hypocritical tears from the media over 'the deaths of innocents'.