More than £5m awarded to Flintshire County Council for new and improved childcare facilities

Grants totalling £5,390,000 have been awarded to Flintshire County Council for the creation and improvement of childcare facilities.

The first is worth £4,890,000 and is being funded by the Welsh Government whereas the second is a ‘small capital grant’ from Childcare Offer Capital Grant Schemes worth £500,000.

This will allow for the Council to erect modular buildings or refurbish premises which will create indoor and outdoor environments appropriate for children aged 3-4 as well as other children, parents, staff and other community users which will be ‘calm, uplifting, safe and attractive’.  

It is a result of a business case submitted by officers from the Early Years and Family Support Service working with Education colleagues and the wider childcare sector. 

Councillor Christine Jones, Flintshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Social Services, said: “Parents told us that ideally they want to be able to drop their children off and pick them up from the same site and access a seamless package of childcare.

“The primary purpose of the Flintshire programme is therefore to facilitate and support the co-location of the Foundation Phase and childcare provision wherever possible.”

Councillor Ian Roberts, Flintshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Education and Youth, added: “This is a significant amount of funding for Flintshire and will benefit many working parents in need of pre-school childcare and offer children modern facilities in which to play, learn and develop.

“Social services colleagues have worked in full partnership with education officers on this crucial scheme and I fully support this excellent programme which will provide first class child care facilities for many children in the county.”

Ten primary schools will benefit from the scheme:

• Ysgol Derwen in Kinnerton
• Westwood School in Buckley
• Ysgol y Escob in Caerwys
• Ysgol Croes Atti in Shotton
• Ysgol Merllyn in Bagillt
• Ysgol Glan Aber in Bagillt
• Ysgol Bro Carmel in Carmel
• Ysgol Maes y Felin in Holywell
• Ysgol Sychdyn 
• Ysgol y Llan in Whitford

Bodelwyddan-based Wynne Construction will carry out the work, with construction ‘hopefully’ starting in the next few months, with a proposed finish date of March 2022.