FAMILIES have been left stuck in the middle of a row between Glasgow City Council and a private nursery.

Management of Monkey Puzzle Nursery claim they were all but guaranteed partnership status with the council but have been left in the dark about their application.

But council bosses emphatically state the nursery was rejected as being a financial risk and informed of the decision.

Meanwhile, the parents of 24 children who would be due extra funding from partnership status are left in limbo.

Lorraine Kirkwood, manager of the Gorbals establishment, said the nursery, which is rated "very good" by the Care Inspectorate, first applied for partnership status in April 2016.

The nursery was initially working with council employee Karen McCormack, whose role was to inspect nurseries, but she went off work sick.

It later emerged McCormack had embezzled £62,000 from children's book charity Book Bug to fund a gambling addiction.

She was jailed for 12 months in April this year.

Ms Kirkwood said there was then a delay but the nursery, which opened four years ago, would be informed of the outcome of its application by August that year.

It was, she said, October before the nursery was told it was viewed as a risk for being a new business.

The nursery was later asked for updated accounts, which were provided.

In anticipation of partnership status, Monkey Puzzle spent £15,000 on additional resources and hired an extra member of staff.

After handing over the books, nursery bosses claim to have had no further information from the council.

A total of 12 children moved from the nursery so parents could take up the council funded hours families are entitled to at partner and council run establishments. A further 24 children are due partnership funding.

Ms Kirkwood went to Nicola Sturgeon for support, as the local MSP, hoping political intervention would shake an answer from the education department.

A spokesman for Nicola Sturgeon confirmed her office had made representations on the nursery's behalf.

She said: "I would not have gone to Nicola Sturgeon to ask her to find out for us about our partnership status if we already had that information.

"We had a lot of anger from our parents who feel messed about by the uncertainty and delays."

Ms Kirkwood, who is described in a 2017 Care Inspectorate Report as an "exceptional individual", was invited to speak at a council event on after school care.

Her bosses, directors Brian Doherty and Della Martin, joined her at the event.

The council says Mr Doherty and Ms Martin were told at this event that they had not secured partnership status.

However, Ms Kirkwood said the council officer who spoke to Mr Doherty and Ms Martin only did so because they happened to bump into each other.

She said it was an off-the-record conversation and nothing was sent officially in writing.

Ms Kirkwood said: "I'm at the end of my tether. We have worked hard to bed into the community. I cannot be more proactive.

"They can't have you speaking at these conferences discussing best practice when they decline the nursery partnership status.

"Now how do I support my families?"

A Glasgow City Council spokeswoman said: “It’s disappointing that parents who use this private nursery have not been told that the nursery has not been able to secure partnership status.

“The council has a duty of care to ensure that we don’t take any unnecessary financial risks with public money.

“Owners of Monkey Puzzle Glasgow were informed in May 2018 by council officers that the nursery would not be awarded partnerships status as the business had for the third time not met the council’s assessment of financial risk.

“The parents should have been informed at this time of this decision.”

Mum-of-two Rebecca Curran said she will now have to look for a private nursery to take her children in the afternoons, causing real disruption to Mrs Curran and her husband.

One of the couple will have to take an early lunchbreak to pick the children up and transport them to the second childcare centre while the other will take a late lunchbreak to pick them up at 3pm.

They will then have to find cover for her three-year-old daughter and six-month-old son until after 5pm.

Mrs Curran, 27, said: "We wouldn't be putting our second child to the nursery if there had been any issues but we've never had any doubts at all.

"The work they do with the kids is phenomenal and if it hadn't been for them I wouldn't have been able to go back to university.

"My husband and I have also contacted the council directly ourselves but received no response."

Adrianna Dar has two sons, aged four and one, with her eldest joining Monkey Puzzle at 10 months old and her youngest at three months old.

She said: "I saw many nurseries before choosing this one and it was the best. I don't want to have to move my two boys, especially as the oldest is settled and has good friends.

“When my children talk in their sleep it is the nursery staff they call out for.”

Having been told by the Evening Times that Glasgow City Council has rejected their application, Ms Kirkwood said: "We are still waiting to have something officially in writing but, once we do, we will be asking for a meeting to discuss next steps.

"We are trying to help the next generation learn and grow.

"The council has said we are a financial risk but we are £48,000 out of pocket to try and gain partnership status to help the families here, not to mention having completely refurbished a listed building owned by the council that was lying derelict.

"Someone needs to be held accountable."