Cost of living: Gosport YMCA Nursery announces 'shock' closure due to 'chronic underfunding' from government

YMCA Nursery Gosport, which is in the grounds of St Vincent College in Mill Lane, will close its doors for the last time on Friday, June 16 after 23 years of serving the area. The decision comes after the YMCA Fairthorne Group failed to find a new organisation to take over the facility. The Hampshire charity, which runs the site and provides free childcare for families, was hit by ‘chronic underfunding’ from the government and looked to shed almost a dozen nurseries last year. According to the charity, a new provider had been found to take over the nursery but has since pulled out.

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YMCA Fairthorne Group CEO Phillipa Spicer said: ‘This announcement will come as a shock to families, staff and the local Gosport community and we are devastated to be in this position. YMCA are engaging with parents to help identify early years places for the children in an alternative local setting, and YMCA is working to retain jobs elsewhere in the charity for the staff impacted.’

In September 2022, the charity announced they would seek other providers for 11 of their 18 early years settings due to the ‘chronic underfunding’ from the government of the free 15 and 30-hour childcare offer, which leaves an annual gap of over £500,000 across the charity’s early years settings, including YMCA Gosport.

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The uncertainty has put YMCA Fairthorne sites in Portsea, Southampton, New Milton, and four schemes in Leigh Park at risk of closure unless new childcare organisations can be found to take on the services.