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1.11.04
Alexandra ward councillor Wayne Hoban has welcomed progress in discussions
aimed at securing a new playgroup centre at The Grove, N10. The move follows
a meeting between Council officers, parents and Cllr Hoban this summer.
The meeting was the result of a long campaign by The Workshop User Group,
supported by Cllrs Lynne Featherstone and Wayne Hoban. The group has been
campaigning hard since they lost Council support and the use of The Grove
Workshop building in Alexandra Park in October 2003, from where they used to
operate their after school and holiday workshops for the under-fives.
Since then the group has moved to two different temporary sites, and is
currently based at the Baptist Church, Muswell Hill. However, parents and
playgroup organisers have expressed concerns about the quality of temporary
venues, while Haringey Council has previously claimed that there was not
significant demand for the service.
Lib Dems point out that the refurbishment of The Grove will be expensive,
but the Council has now secured some external funding from the Lottery
sponsored New Opportunities Fund, with the remainder from the Education
capital budget. Architects are currently working on developing the plans
further, having taken into account parents' comments, particularly in
relation to their concerns over security and access to site.
Cllr Hoban is pleased with the progress and productivity of the meetings but
he says there is still much work to be done. He will continue to work
closely with the Council and local residents to resolve the next issue
regarding staffing of the new group.
Cllr Wayne Hoban comments:
"All the evidence indicates that provision of good quality playgroup
facilities for young children significantly improves their chances of
developing good social and behaviour skills. "
Cllr Lynne Featherstone adds:
"I am very pleased to see that the council has now accepted our argument
that the Grove playgroup service must be properly supported."
Comments?
If you have any comments on this story, please let me know in the space below, or you can email me at lynne@lynnefeatherstone.org
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