Council chiefs have announced that two nurseries under threat of closure are to remain open until the summer.

The government has cut Wakefield Council's early years funding by over £4m forcing the council to find savings - including the planned closure of Pomfret nursery in Chequerfield and Airedale nursery in Kendal Drive.

But parents, councillors and local MP Yvette Cooper raised concern about the importance of the nurseries, the lack of alternative child care and the impact on families. 

Before Christmas, Yvette met with parents at Pontefract and Airedale. Along with Councillor Tony Dean and Councillor Les Shaw, Yvette asked the council to look again at the closure plans, and to find the money to fund the nurseries until at least the summer to give more time for work to be done to keep the nurseries open long term.

Councillor Peter Box, leader of Wakefield Council, has now stepped in and told Yvette Cooper on Friday that WMDC will find the money to keep them open until 1st September despite the 20% cut to the under 5s budget.

The announcement comes after a deadline for alternative proposals was extended to the end of February to give parents and other groups more time to come up with an alternative.

At a meeting with parents, local MP Yvette Cooper broke the news and said everyone needed to work together to keep the nurseries open. 

Yvette Cooper MP said:

"Pontefract and Airedale parents really depend on the nurseries to help them manage to juggle work and family life. That's why everyone needs to work together to keep them open. 

The council's decision to find extra money, despite the scale of the cuts they face, is really important. It means there is now more time to properly look at all the options to keep the nurseries open. 

It is deeply unfair that the government has cut the under 5s budget by 20 per cent, and that's put the council under real pressure. But they have responded to parents concerns and now every option to help families and keep the nurseries going needs to be vigorously pursued."