A PRESCHOOL is set to close at the end of next week, meaning dozens of children will have to be relocated.

Woodside Pre-school, in Woodside Hall, Benfleet, will be closing its doors on Friday December 14.

Castle Point Council has confirmed the closure of the preschool, which has about 45 children on the roll, and has stated there are no existing plans for a new nursery to take its place.

The existing owner is stepping down from running the nursery due to personal reasons. Parents have been critical of the council, claiming it is not doing enough to ensure the nursery remains open for children to get the experiences and education they need before starting primary school.

Critic have also said increasing prices to rent out the hall to use as a pre-school is putting off potential new owners to take over the nursery.

Castle Point Council has defended its decision to increase rent prices.

A spokesman said: “The council has received approaches from two people who are potentially interested in taking over the nursery and has provided them with our standard off peak prices for hire of the facility, i.e. £16.50 per hour.

“Our prices will go up in April but it will only be an inflationary increase.

No details of hire charges from April onwards have been issued as the charges have yet to be fixed.

“The council has not received any complaints that the hire costs are too high.”

The authority has highlighted the long process taken by Ofsted to register a new nursery, which can take months if it is not listed as an emergency.

The spokesman added: “The issue as we understand it, is not the hire cost but the delay in registration of a new nursery, a matter over which Castle Point Council has no control or responsibility.

"Ofsted usually take up to 20 weeks to register a new nursery, and unless they treat the application as an emergency and fast track it then there will be no nursery provision at Woodside in January or until the registration process is completed.”