Islington Council says it has been forced to put up fees because plansto open 16 children's centres by 2008 will lead to a funding gap of1.4m if the current level of council subsidy and chargingstructure remains. It says the Government has cut the council's SureStart funding by 800,000.
It has already put the plans out for consultation to parents and willmake its decision at a meeting next week.
Councillor Ursula Woolley, executive member for children and youngpeople, told Nursery World, 'We really want to create the places butit's a real stretch.'
She said that with 40 per cent of families in Islington living inpoverty, the need for affordable childcare to enable parents to go towork was paramount and that the changes were being introduced to protectthem.
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