Member

When reading the Bill, I had assumed that in this case the Government were concerned about nursery school and childcare capacity, hence the carve-out for stand-alone nursery schools, but this carve-out does not apply if the nursery school is part of a wider independent school. I respectfully suggest that that neither meets the common-sense test of consistency in applying this legislation nor shows any understanding of parental preferences. Clearly, if you have older children in a school, you would ideally send your child to a nursery in the same school, for practical reasons. Can the Minister clarify whether stand-alone nurseries, with and without charitable status, will be subject to business rates, and whether those with charitable status will retain charitable relief? If the answer to the first of those is no but the second is yes, my amendment retains its merit and should be addressed by the Government.