Nurseries to be told how to invoice after Nottinghamshire Council ordered to compensate mum over fees

A mum complained to the Local Government Ombudsman about the way the authority handled her issues with an unnamed nursery.

Her complaints concerned added fees and charges on her nursery bills, including “consumables” like nappies and food being added, without notice.

The mother signed up with the nursery – which was not named in a report – after qualifying for 22 hours a week of free childcare.

However, she complained to the authority in August 2021, saying the nursery was not providing a free place and raising concerns her invoices were neither clear, transparent nor itemised.

The council was asked to investigate and found the nursery was charging extra hourly fees, a retainer for holidays and giving no notice when charging for the consumables.

However, when it asked the nursery to amend its terms and conditions, the council did not get “to the bottom of the problem”.

Investigators also found the authority “did not do enough” to prevent repeat incidents.

In its verdict, the ombudsman called on the authority to “learn from this complaint” and ensure other parents do not experience similar issues.

It told the council to pay the mum a combined £200 for the time, trouble and distress of the case.

The council was also asked to refund half the extra charges the mum had paid between January 2020 and February 2022, when her child left the nursery.

Members of the council’s governance and ethics committee heard a new audit document has set out best practices for providers when breaking down their invoices.

This, the council says, will make them more “transparent”, clarify any extra charges and break down all information.

Irene Kakoulis, group manager for early childhood services, told the meeting: “We accept we failed in terms of looking specifically at the invoice, but where I feel we didn’t fail is the parent was still able to access funded childcare. The invoices just weren’t clear.

Coun Michael Payne said the case makes it “crystal clear” the authority “fell short of our statutory duties”.

But Coun Philip Owen, committee chairman, believed more onus was on the parent to raise the complaint directly with the nursery.