Alliance concerned by council plans to withhold free entitlement
8th May 2014
Alliance concerned by council plans to withhold free entitlement
Commenting on the news that Birmingham City Council plans to withhold free entitlement funding to PVI provider that do not pay staff the Living Wage, Alliance chief executive Neil Leitch said:
‘ This case clearly highlights the impact that chronic underfunding is having on the sector. We of course agree that all early years practitioners should receive a fair level of pay and have long lobbied on this point. However, forcing providers to pay the living wage as a condition of free entitlement funding, without any increase in funding levels is naïve, unrealistic and unsustainable.
Such an approach would also appear to directly contradict the Department for Education’s assertion that local authorities cannot withhold funding from good or outstanding providers for any reasons other than safety concerns. We understand that they are looking into this particular case and so await with interest the outcome of their investigation.’
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Notes for editors
- The Pre-school Learning Alliance is the largest voluntary sector provider of quality affordable childcare and education in England.
- Through direct provision and its membership of 14,000 nurseries, sessional pre-schools and parent and toddler groups, the Alliance supports over 800,000 children and their families in England. The Alliance also develops and runs family learning programmes, offers information and advice, runs acclaimed training and accreditation programmes and campaigns to influence early years policy and practice.
- For information about the Pre-school Learning Alliance, visit our website: