Lincolnshire County Council is working with new Spalding nursery Building Blocks to create additional childcare places

A new nursery will be helping to ease the pressure for childcare places in the Spalding area.

Lincolnshire County Council confirmed it is working with Building Blocks DayNurseries to fill the shortage of childcare places.

The council had stated that the town needed an additional 95 places - and that was before the closure of Little Treasures Nursery by Ofsted amid safety concerns.

Building Blocks has announced it is opening at an unconfirmed Spalding location to provide places for children aged between three months and four years and is running a questionnaire to find out what people want.

Geraldine O’Neill, the council’s sustainability and development manager, said: “We’re working closely with Building Blocks to develop some much-needed childcare places for families in the Spalding area. They are preparing to open as soon as possible and will be offering full wrap-around care, including breakfast and after-school provision.

“They are currently talking to families directly, to understand their needs, and further details will be announced shortly.”

Laura Spillett, one of the owners of BeBright Nursery in Spalding, feels additional childcare spaces are needed.

She said: “A new nursery is desperately needed. I think it is really good that there will be additional places. It is going to help ease the pressure for places.

“We are getting parents ringing daily begging for spaces because there is a shortage.”

Laura said there are a number of challenges.

She said: “People might do their training and then decide to get a job else where as early years is not a particularly well paid sector to work in.

“All the local colleges are not getting people to apply to do the training.

“I think that because the funding that we and other settings receive from the local authority is low it is hard to attract the good quality staff.”

A survey by Coram Family and Childcare shows childcare provision nationally dropped by 18 per cent over a four year period.

South Holland District Council’s deputy leader Nick Worth said additional childcare spaces would be welcomed. He said: “If we get additional childcare spaces in the area it will make it easier for new employees to work for employers.”

l BeBright is holding a recruitment day on Saturday from 10am.