ON BEHALF OF AFFECTED FAMILIES, FAMILIES WHO BELIEVE IN THE PRINCIPLES OF FUNDING FOLLOWS THE CHILD & NDNA MEMBERS IN WEST LOTHIAN

In October and November of 2025, West Lothian conducted a public consultation called "Your Council, Your Say: West Lothian".  As part of that consultation, people were asked what they thought about cuts and changes to a range of services as well as other cost saving measures.  One of these was:

Do you agree that the Council should reduce spending on non-statutory services? We have set out in our consultation potential options that that the Council could take to reduce spending, including a number of non-statutory services (all listed below): [...]

5c: Funding support for non-West Lothian children at private partner provider early learning & childcare settings (£700,000).

Funding Follows the Child Operational Guidance 2025 states very clearly that “...families will be able to access high quality funded ELC with the provider of their choice if that provider meets the criteria set out in the National Standard” and that “[t]he choice of setting available to families is not restricted to their own local authority boundary”.

• Provider neutral access to flexible childcare options at public, private and childminder settings which operate at or above the National Standard is a key part of the Children & Young People’s (Scotland) Act 2014 and should be defended.  

The cost saving presented in this measure was calculated by multiplying the number of children affected by the amount paid to PVI settings for their services.  

• This "total cost" saving does not include the cost of moving the delivery of cross boundary provision into public settings - something which the Council plans on doing. 
• This "total cost" saving doesn't account for the relative cost of delivering ELC provision in public vs. PVI settings.  In 23/24 West Lothian Council reported its Per Pupil ELC spend (CHN3) as £9,594. During the same year it paid PVI settings £7,410.  PVI settings were £2,184 more cost effective in delivering childcare to the same National Standard.

The people affected by this proposal have not been consulted - Your Council, Your Say: West Lothian was, as the name suggests, for West Lothian residents and people who make use of cross boundary provision are, by definition, from outside the Local Authority area.

• People outside West Lothian who will be affected by this proposal have not been consulted; people inside West Lothian who will be affected by "reciprocal" policies in neighbouring council areas have not been consulted; the Impact Assessment prepared regarding this measure foresees "no impact" on women returning from maternity leave.

This petition calls on decision makers in West Lothian Council to properly debate the impact that this proposal will have and reflect on their responsibilities towards children and families both within their own wards and beyond the boundaries of West Lothian.