Pen Green boss blasts 'deplorable' behaviour of senior councillors who declined to visit amid savage funding cuts

Staff at Corby's beloved Pen Green centre were left in tears this morning (Monday, March 7) after senior North Northamptonshire councillors declined an invite to see for themselves the work the centre does.

The world-renowned childcare hub has been threatened with the loss of up to 78 per cent of its core funding in an existential hammer blow after North Northamptonshire Council decided to reallocate its budget to maintained nurseries in other areas.

NNC leader Jason Smithers had originally been due to come to the nursery at 10am today to see the incredible work that is done to help some of Corby's neediest children and their families. Also among the delegation was Executive member for Children, Families, Education and Skills Cllr Scott Edwards.

Local families had been invited along to speak to the councillors about the difference Pen Green had made to their families.

The visit was due to take place ahead of a formal sit-down meeting between the council's executive members and Pen Green bosses at Corby Cube tomorrow (Tuesday).

Opposition leader Jean Addison and Cllr Mark Pengelly arrived at the centre before today's visit to find that the executive members weren't coming. They say they discovered they wouldn't be arriving when they received a decline on an electronic diary request.

Cllr Smithers told this newspaper that he had informed the centre manager last week that the visit wasn't necessary - but Pen Green bosses said that wasn't the case and they had been expecting the delegation until it became apparent they weren't turning up.

Chair of Governors Adam Cooper said: "I think this is deplorable. They clearly don't care about the situation. They have no respect for our heads and all the children and families who use the centre.

"So far none of them have been to the centre."

Opposition leader Jean Addison blasted the 'arrogance' of the executive and said: "They didn't even have the courtesy to phone the centre. Not to tell the centre when we're sitting here waiting is a disgrace."

Cllr Mark Pengelly said that Labour's Shadow Chidlren's Minister Helen Hayes had agreed to meet with centre managers at short notice last week and had promised to visit Pen Green within days.

He said: "It's incredible she can find the time to visit but the council executive can't. There could be 60 jobs going here as well as all the incredible services Pen Green provide."

Cllr Edwards is still due to visit the centre tomorrow after the executive meeting at the Cube.

Cllr Smithers said that he had informed the head of Pen Green Angela Prodger last week that he would not be coming to the centre but would instead invite her and staff to his executive weekly executive catch-up meeting at the Cube.

He told this newspaper: "I'm doing my absolute best to try to assist them.

"We have given Angela and her colleagues the facility to come to the executive meeting and so there was no need for us to come today. I think somewhere along the line in the conversation I had with Angela she's not fully understood there's no need for us to come to the centre.

"I don't doubt that what they do there is absolutely fantastic. It's a real world-beating establishment.

"We will listen to the impact that the funding issues will have on Pen Green. This is about finding a way forward that has the least impact on Pen Green as an establishment and keeping the other maintained nurseries safe.

"I'll do everything possible to ensure we get the best possible deal for Pen Green."

When we asked if Cllr Smithers would go to the Government to ask for more early-years funding for all our maintained nurseries, Cllr Smithers said: "We've been having conversations with the Department for Education and those conversations will be continuing to take place this week.

"From experience, if you go cap-in-hand asking for more money without a real solid case behind you then you'll get laughed out of there.

"What I'm doing is understanding the funding position we're in and if we do have a situation where any of our maintained nurseries may close, I will have no issue with going to the Government and I'm sure I'll have the support of our MP Tom Pursglove. We will fight for what we can get. One thing I can say is that I'm a scrapper.

"I'm 100 per cent behind getting the best deal for Pen Green."