Playgroup in limbo as building plan put on hold (From Oxford Mail)

Playgroup in limbo as building plan put on hold

2:00pm Thursday 29th July 2010 in

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A PLAYGROUP fears for its long-term future after plans to build it a £300,000 new home were put on hold due to Government cuts.

Last year, Rainbow Playgroup, in Hendon Place, Bicester, faced closure after its 30-year-old building was condemned by Oxfordshire County Council inspectors, although the community rallied round to patch up the building for the short term.

Last November, the council said it would pay for a new building within the grounds of nearby Glory Farm School.

However, last week the group got a letter from the council telling them its funding was under review.

It said: “This is to let you know that we have been told we cannot proceed with your project at this stage as the expected funding may not be available.

“We are making representations on your behalf in discussion with Government officials and their representations, but we will not know the final outcome until the end of the month at the earliest.”

Playgroup secretary Roz Edwards said staff and children were very disappointed.

She said: “We have told everyone about the new building and we’ve got a waiting list for January.

“Now I’m not sure we have any future without it.

“The council saved us at the 11th hour. Since then planning permission has gone in and been approved and we were supposed to be starting work in the new term “Now they have put everything on hold.

“We have still got to hope they are going to turn around and say yes.

“We have got an awful lot of children with nowhere to go if we close – the school can’t take them.”

Other pre-schools affected are Sonning Common, Cumnor, Berinsfield, Magpies in Kidlington, and Grovelands Park in Grove.

Currently Rainbow, a registered charity, looks after 70 children during term time and now has more than 100 on its waiting list for January, when they hoped the new building would be open.

Earlier this month Oxfordshire County Council said it was bracing itself to lose up to 30 per cent of its central Government grant.

Council spokesman Louise Mendonça said: “The Government has said that this is one of the schemes it is looking at as part of the review of Early Years Capital Funding.

“We await a decision on the future of the project.”

She said a decision over which projects would be scrapped could be made by the end of August.