Essex County Council wins equalities battle with Department for Education over cuts to nursery funding

The High Court has backed Essex County Council's claim that Department for Education cuts to pre-school education and childcare funding in the county breached equality laws.

The council argued that the Department for Education's £10 million cut to funding aimed at upgrading substandard accommodation and building new facilities disproportionately affected the county’s disabled children and those in areas of deprivation.

The programme was designed in order to be accessible to children with disabilities, be fully inclusive and of suitable standards for providing early education and enabling parents to access their free three and four year old funding. It was also aimed at enabling childcare providers to care for younger children and "reach those in most need". The cut affected a large number of projects and the programme, which the council said was “firmly linked to Early Intervention”.

Cllr Peter Martin, Leader of Essex County Council, said of the ruling: “I am pleased to hear of yesterday’s ruling in favour of Essex County Council. This was an unusual step for the council to take but we believed strongly that the rights of the county’s children to have access to these facilities is worth campaigning for.

“Whilst we realise that this is a time of austerity and budgets are tight, we believe it is important to protect those most vulnerable in society and ensure they are given the resources and support they need. We hope the Department for Education listens to this ruling and makes the necessary adjustments to our funding to ensure Essex parents and children receive the best possible early year’s provision.”