I really have got to send my utmost to the parents at the nurseries.
Now I reckon you may know all about Labour’s plans to shut the nurseries in South Bermondsey and Kennington.
Labour councillors have accused me of running a ‘shadow’ campaign,
Whipping up fear, to publicise the ‘Save our Nurseries’ campaign.
but the truth is, I’m not. The simple truth is, there are loads of people,
who really think Labour’s plans to shut Bishop’s House and Tenda Road Nurseries are PLAIN WRONG.
Thousands of people have signed the petition to save the nurseries.

I would love to take all the credit for the acres of press coverage devoted week after week in the local papers
(both Southwark News, AND South London Press)

The parents are totally winning the press war!
EVERY TIME I open a local paper,
there is an article or letter about the nurseries!!!!

I really don’t know why Cllr Catherine McDonald made the decision to close the nurseries,
and I don’t know why Cllr Dora Dixon-Fyle (MBE) doesn’t simply reverse the decision,
but in the meantime:
The local papers are printing story after story about Labour’s flawed plans:

Today’s South London Press

Of course, I have offered them all the help I can,

BUT THEY DON”T NEED MY HELP!
Southwark Liberal Democrats support the parents 100%

If only Labour had changed their mind in March,
when the staff at the nurseries started handing out photocopies of letters to parents,
they could have stopped this year’s biggest press story!

Is it arrogance, or just plain stupidity?

and there’s more:

Today’s South London Press – letters page

The parents have submitted freedom of information requests,
and worked out that the information used to calculate the cost of running the nurseries is wrong,
embarrassing both council staff, and elected Labour Councillors.

The parents reckon they could run the nurseries,
AND MAKE A PROFIT!

It gets better…….

Having fully supported Southwark Labour party’s decision to close the nursery,
since March  (six months ago)

Newington Labour Councillor Patrick Diamond wants to join the ‘Save the Nurseries Campaign’

Letter from yesterday’s Southwark News

Congratulations to the Parent’s Campaign!

***SAVE OUR NURSERIES***

(Cllr Diamond’s majority was 27 votes in the May 2010 council election)