CHILDREN in Ilkley could still lose out in early years education, despite a new £2.3 million plan being announced by the local authority, a councillor has warned.

Bradford Council is hoping to get Government funding to develop 1,220 new early education places for children across the district.

At a meeting yesterday (Wed) councillors were due to approve the plan to be sent to the Department of Education and Employment for approval.

Councillor Ralph Berry, executive member for building communities, said top quality child care did not just benefit individual families but also the whole community.

But Parish and District Councillor Anne Hawkesworth said she was not convinced that Ilkley would benefit under Bradford Council's plans.

At present there is no local authority nursery provision in the town but a thriving private sector.

Coun Hawkesworth said that Bradford education officials lumped together all pre-school facilities in the town, ignoring the differences in the quality of education children receive.

Their figures are then used to draw up the total number of places that are available in the town.

But Coun Hawkesworth said that pre-school playgroup places should not be counted in the same way as nursery school classes run by qualified teachers.

"They are trying to veil the facts because they have to produce a list of availability.

"I don't believe that just because a child is getting a bum on a seat somewhere it is getting an equal opportunity for pre-school education," said Coun Hawkesworth.

She has called for the council to release funding for the private sector in Ilkley to provide high-quality nursery education by qualified teachers.

"I am happy with the private sector providing pre-school education as long as it is up to the required standard," said Coun Hawkesworth.

Ilkley MP Ann Cryer and Parish Council chairman Kate Brown have written to the Government over the issue of nursery provision in the town.

In a reply, education Minister Margaret Hodge said: "Bradford's provisional education Standard Spending Assessment for 2000-2001 is being increased by some £10.4 million.

"It is for elected officers at local education authorities to decided how to allocate their budget."

Ilkley parish councillors have called on the local authority to provide nursery places for Ilkley children instead of leaving it to the private sector alone.

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