Council grant for creche?

Press, 7 September 1981, Page 12

Council grant for creche?

The Hoon Hay Community Services Association s creche should receive' a Christchurch City Council grant of up to $lOOO this year to subsidise staff salaries, the council’s community services committee has said. . The proposal prompted another debate on how much the council should be involved financially in such services. • Under the committee’s recommendation, 35 per cent of salaries paid to trained staff, or staff following a recognised training course, would be paid by the council. The money would come from $ll,OOO budgeted this year for community child care. Cr D. J. Howlands said that the council had already set several precedents and had established a policy on suburban child care which

the recommendation followed. But Cr M. J. Glubb said that the council did not have a policy. Cases for a subsidy so far had been presented in a piecemeal fashion. The committee agreed to consider a future report on the financial implications of such subsidies and how widespread they might become. The council has received a petition from the Private Child Care Federation which again urges councillors to leave childcare services to private interests. . This year the council will spend $45,243 on the 40-place Civic Child Care Centre and another $118,150 on services "in fields in which the private child-care operators are not very active,” according to a council staff report The council runs the

Cathedral Square creche and helps suburban communityrun creches. Or Gluoo saio tie uiu. not agree that ratepayers’ money should be spent on that kind of service but if the council was spending that sort of money it should be spread round the community more to groups such as kindergarten associations. t? Other councillors agreed that Government financial assistance was required in providing such facilities. The committee agreed with Cr Helen Garrett that the Private Child Care Federation should be invited to discuss specific grievances, perhaps in committee. Cr Garrett said that the council’s community service “should not be an empire builder but there to fill the gaps, to provide communica-

1 lion and a bit of cement, but . not to be in competition with other groups? Bexley centre J Councillors' agreed to ! study the possibility of using ! the relocatable building at ■ the central library as a Bex--1 ley community centre but they said that such a use could be expensive. They said that relocation, alterations, and the cost of the building itself could mean at least $60,000 on next year’s community services estimates. Other council departments are also interested in using the relocatable building after the new library opens early next year. Cr Rowlands said that the community-centre question would have to be weighed against other spending priorities.