COUNCILLORS have agreed to re-look at a decision which would see crèches close across Fife.

Back in November, members of the Education and Children Services Committee agreed to close all council-run crèches – including facilities at Oakley and Kelty – in a bid to save £488,000.

The move would also see schools left to provide breakfast clubs and some after-school clubs would have to shut.

After the decision – which would have left schools to provide breakfast clubs and seen the closure of some after-school clubs – was called in by the education and children’s services health and social care scrutiny committee, Fife Councillors have now agreed to have another look.

At Thursday's meeting, Conservative group leader Dave Dempsey put forward a motion supporting the vast majority of the proposals but calling for the removal of ASN after school clubs, however this was defeated by an amendment by council co-leader David Ross who asked for further consideration of the impact of the plans.

Cllr Ross said: "While I recognise a lot of work has gone into this over a lot of time, we see there are fundamental things that have not been addressed properly and on top of that, things have changed due to covid and also due to the implementation of 1140 hours nursery expansion. We feel there is the need to pause and refer it back and look again.

"Not enough has been done to look at the impact on families, particularly families from some of the more disadvantaged communities.

"Over the last few days I have had quite a number, certainly more than a dozen, of emails from people in various communities who have use these in the past. They put real people's views about the benefit of some of these things particularly the crèches."

Helen Law seconded Cllr Ross' motion saying they needed to "look hard" at the needs of communities and families.

"Our job is to make things better not worse," she said. "The crèches have been a lifeline to families. I think if we had been living in different times, there would have been a bit of a campaign. Young mums would have been outside with placards."

Dunfermline South councillor Fay Sinclair, former convener of the education committee, said the recommendation had followed 18 months of work.

"Six months later we are still being asked to defer the decision," he said. "I find it frustrating because a lot of good stuff in that paper. I understand concerns about some elements of it.

"I think is is right that we have a further and hopefully final consideration of all the details involved in."

Current education and children's services convener, councillor Craig Walker, added: "There has been a significant amount of work in this.

"We shouldn't be taking decisions on individual circumstance but it is important to listen to what the scrutiny committee has said so I am happy to support Councillor Ross' motion."

This caused Cllr Dempsey to accuse Cllr Walker of an "about face". He added: "That is marching up to the top of the hill and marching back down again. The administration is now withdrawing its own proposal and no doubt they will get their way."

Councillors agreed to Cllr Ross' amendment with a vote of 56 to 12.