East Renfrewshire Council will be writing to parents to provide an update on nursery provision after plans to expand free childcare hours were delayed.

The Scottish Government announced last week it was to halt the legal duty on councils to almost double the number of childcare hours to 1,140 for all three and four-year-olds and eligible two-year-olds by August.

Children and Young People Minister Maree Todd said the decision to close schools and nurseries during the Covid-19 outbreak has made the expansion of childcare within that timescale “impossible.”

Now council chiefs have confirmed all affected families in the Barrhead area will be contacted so they are aware of the latest situation.

A council spokesman said: “We were absolutely on track to deliver by August 2020, although a large part of our expansion plan was creating six new nursery facilities to support the increased number of nursery places required.

“The situation in relation to this global pandemic remains very uncertain, so it is difficult to know the full impact this will ultimately have on delivering the new requirements.

“This decision by the Scottish Government will give us time to review our current provision and reconsider applications and early learning and childcare requirements.

“This work will be carried out by next month and we will be back in contact with parents at this time.”

Ms Todd added: “The Covid-19 pandemic has made it impossible to continue with the planned recruitment and infrastructure projects required to support expansion.

“As we focus on saving lives and looking after people most vulnerable to the virus, the immediate priority is to ensure that we have the emergency childcare in place to support families during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“To support local government with this critical response work, the Scottish Government has now moved to suspend the statutory duty on local authorities to provide 1,140 hours of early learning and childcare from this August.”

Ms Todd stressed her commitment to delivering the expansion “remains undimmed,” adding that the statutory duty will be reinstated once a clearer picture of the pandemic emerges, but giving no proposed new date.

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