In September, the flagship Reform UK council in South Tyneside announced plans to close 10 public nurseries by July of next year. As one of its first big decisions since ending decades of Labour leadership in May, it has quite rightly attracted severe backlash from local parents and residents.
Most importantly, the impact on the people of Stanley is incomprehensible. This is an area where almost a third of children are living in poverty. For parents receiving benefits or working as full-time carers, these closures could be devastating, leaving many with no choice but to withdraw their children from nursery altogether. Nursery is about more than childcare: it develops language, social, and physical skills before school. It also leaves parents actively seeking employment or education with the burden of childcare. Frankly, this is a crisis for many families.
It is incredibly ironic that a party championing the ‘British family’ and meritocracy are making headlines for this decision. It is truly a testament to Reform UK’s inconsistency, especially on a local level. The party holds little regard to the welfare of working-class children and the importance of working parents. That has been made abundantly clear with this decision. South Tyneside council would much prefer the £1.1m, and as soon as possible. A staggered implementation of this policy might be more considerate, but ordering all 10 closures within less than a year of the decision being made sends a very clear message to the people of South Tyneside — and the rest of the North East.
South Tyneside was among several North East councils to have seen a Reform UK surge in the past 2 years, breaking down Labour’s Red Wall. Growing up in County Durham, I witnessed this firsthand. Our area has been historically severely overlooked by politics, both locally and nationally. Whether it be deindustrialisation, unemployment, or underperformance in schools, living between the Tees and the Tyne you likely feel abandoned by and disengaged with politics. That’s how it felt until 2024.
The noticeable change came when Nigel Farage and Reform UK capitalised on the vulnerability of areas like South Tyneside for electoral success and power. The leader of their council is Paul Mackings, who not only is an extremely wealthy shareholder in multiple businesses, but has donated to the party in sums over £100,000. This is not a ‘man of the people;’ this is a businessman who has stumbled upon political power. A Farage archetype, you might say. Richard Tice, MP and Deputy Leader of Reform UK, called his decision “courageous.” I beg to differ.
So, while it is important to acknowledge the corruption involved in Reform UK and their recent popularity in councils across the country, the bottom line is that thousands of families are about to be completely abandoned by their local representatives and suffer greatly at the hands of their political incompetency. Although there is no real silver lining here, I hope that decisions like this encourage well-informed voting across the country.
“Nigel Farage addressing Reform UK rally at Trago Mills, Devon” by Owain Davies is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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In September, the flagship Reform UK council in South Tyneside announced plans to close 10 public nurseries by July of next year. As one of its first big decisions since ending decades of Labour leadership in May, it has quite rightly attracted severe backlash from local parents and residents.
Most importantly, the impact on the people of Stanley is incomprehensible. This is an area where almost a third of children are living in poverty. For parents receiving benefits or working as full-time carers, these closures could be devastating, leaving many with no choice but to withdraw their children from nursery altogether. Nursery is about more than childcare: it develops language, social, and physical skills before school. It also leaves parents actively seeking employment or education with the burden of childcare. Frankly, this is a crisis for many families.
It is incredibly ironic that a party championing the ‘British family’ and meritocracy are making headlines for this decision. It is truly a testament to Reform UK’s inconsistency, especially on a local level. The party holds little regard to the welfare of working-class children and the importance of working parents. That has been made abundantly clear with this decision. South Tyneside council would much prefer the £1.1m, and as soon as possible. A staggered implementation of this policy might be more considerate, but ordering all 10 closures within less than a year of the decision being made sends a very clear message to the people of South Tyneside — and the rest of the North East.
South Tyneside was among several North East councils to have seen a Reform UK surge in the past 2 years, breaking down Labour’s Red Wall. Growing up in County Durham, I witnessed this firsthand. Our area has been historically severely overlooked by politics, both locally and nationally. Whether it be deindustrialisation, unemployment, or underperformance in schools, living between the Tees and the Tyne you likely feel abandoned by and disengaged with politics. That’s how it felt until 2024.
The noticeable change came when Nigel Farage and Reform UK capitalised on the vulnerability of areas like South Tyneside for electoral success and power. The leader of their council is Paul Mackings, who not only is an extremely wealthy shareholder in multiple businesses, but has donated to the party in sums over £100,000. This is not a ‘man of the people;’ this is a businessman who has stumbled upon political power. A Farage archetype, you might say. Richard Tice, MP and Deputy Leader of Reform UK, called his decision “courageous.” I beg to differ.
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So, while it is important to acknowledge the corruption involved in Reform UK and their recent popularity in councils across the country, the bottom line is that thousands of families are about to be completely abandoned by their local representatives and suffer greatly at the hands of their political incompetency. Although there is no real silver lining here, I hope that decisions like this encourage well-informed voting across the country.
“Nigel Farage addressing Reform UK rally at Trago Mills, Devon” by Owain Davies is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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