Dumfries & Galloway Nursery 300% Rent Rise Withdrawn

A council has withdrawn plans to more than quadruple nursery rental rates in the face of significant opposition.

More than a dozen independent pre-school nurseries in Dumfries and Galloway had warned they could be put out of business if the move went ahead.

Now the council has decided to enter a three-month consultation to try to find the best way forward.

A further report on the implications of any changes will be brought back before a final decision is taken.

A significant amount of statutory nursery class provision in the region is provided on behalf of the council by community groups.

Many of them use spare accommodation in local primary schools.

However, they recently received demands for sizeable rent increases.

Nursery providers in the village of Kirkcolm, near Stranraer, currently pay £1,425 for the use of a room but that was proposed to rise to £6,000.

They claimed it could bankrupt the nursery and force the council to make its own provision at even higher cost.

The authority has now stepped back from imposing the rent rise.

It will look again at the best option for nursery charges later this year.