Last week the Deputy Prime Minister, Sure Start and Ofsted sent a joint letter to all planning authorities, local authority children's services departments and Ofsted regional centres restating the planning guidance (PPG4) on registered childminding and planning permission. This was in response to continued evidence that some planners still ignore this guidance and expect childminders to apply for planning permission even when they are working in their own home and have made no structural change to it. The guidance states that in this instance, a childminder should be allowed to provide childcare to the number of children they have been registered by Ofsted to care for, without planning permission being required. National Childminding Association is delighted this letter has been sent and hopes it starts to tackle the planning inconsistencies experienced by some childminders who are prevented from providing or expanding their childcare service to local families for no legitimate reason.
Last week the Deputy Prime Minister, Sure Start and Ofsted sent a joint letter to all planning authorities, local authority children's services departments and Ofsted regional centres restating the planning guidance (PPG4) on registered childminding and planning permission. This was in response to continued evidence that some planners still ignore this guidance and expect childminders to apply for planning permission even when they are working in their own home and have made no structural change to it. The guidance states that in this instance, a childminder should be allowed to provide childcare to the number of children they have been registered by Ofsted to care for, without planning permission being required.
National Childminding Association is delighted this letter has been sent and hopes it starts to tackle the planning inconsistencies experienced by some childminders who are prevented from providing or expanding their childcare service to local families for no legitimate reason.
In some areas it has even meant that people applying to be registered childminders are told to first check with the planning department how many children they will be allowed to care for. The planners tell them they cannot care for the normal number allowed, which usually means the childminding business is not financially viable - and the sector loses another potential worker.
A vote was passed at our AGM calling on the NCMAto 'name and shame'
offending planning departments. If these problems persist, we will not hesitate to do just that!
Gill Haynes, chief executive, NCMA
