Pen Green protest outside North Northants Council budget meeting

Pen Green supporters held a protest outside Corby Cube this morning in an effort to try and save the vital funding that they say they need.

They made their voices heard outside the Cube, where the budget council meeting was being held from 10am.

As part of the budget arrangements, Pen Green will lose 70 per cent of its funding for the children’s centre and 100 per cent of funding for the integrated services they provide beyond the nursery.

Adam Cooper, chairman of governors at Pen Green, said: “Two years ago we had nearly a million pounds’ worth of funding. Last year we had £350,000, that was only because the council found some extra money after we protested.

“This year, nothing.

“Without this funding we’re going to lose all the other services outside of the maintained nursery.

“Everything that we do with parents and families, every time that we bring in other social services to help people, social care, all of that will have to go because it’s unfunded now.

“At a time when we’ve got extreme poverty, we’ve got Covid, inflation is going crazy, people are struggling.

“To take away these services at this time is ruthless, it’s going to hurt so many people and it’s going to harm children and families. We can’t let that happen.”

Five people spoke for Pen Green at the meeting, including founder Margy Whalley, Angela Prodger, Tracy Gallagher, Adam Cooper and Donna Gallagher.

At the meeting the Labour Group proposed four amendments to the budget, including a grant of £200,000 to Pen Green.

Councillors including Cllr Matt Keane, Cllr William Colquhoun, Cllr Mark Pengelly, Cllr Lyn Buckingham, Cllr Zoe McGhee, Cllr Valerie Anslow, Cllr Leanne Buckingham and Cllr John McGhee all spoke in favour of amendment two concerning Pen Green.

Cllr Dorothy Maxwell, Cllr Scott Edwards, and Cllr Andy Mercer all spoke against amendment two saying that it would not be fair for Pen Green to receive more money than the other three maintained nurseries in this area.

Cllr Maxwell (Con) said: “Pen Green, which gets an income more than the other three at a cost of £100,000 the other three get, in my view, should be treated equally. If we hadn’t actually backed the other three, they would have gone under.

“I feel that every child regardless of where they live in this area of NNC should be treated equally.”

Cllr John McGhee (Lab) said: “Cllr Maxwell absolutely sums up the debate about Pen Green. You [the council] don’t understand the issue. You think it’s a little building up there? There’s four centres, not just one building, in Rockingham Road.

"My own area in Kingswood, which is a left behind area, they will lose a nursery and they will lose provision if you don’t support giving them that money. That’s a fact, three other areas as well as Pen Green will be affected.”

The Labour Group proposed that these amendments be voted on separately but overall the council did not vote in favour of this.

Overall the council did not vote in favour of the amendments.

Speaking afterwards, Mr Cooper said: "We fight on. We're not going to stop. They don't understand what we do, we're not just a nursery."