33 day care centers in Copenhagen risk closure, and the matter will now be discussed in the City Council on Tuesday. Both children, parents, and employees want clarity about the future of the institutions before the summer holidays. Therefore, Copenhagen’s Lord Mayor, Sophie Hæstorp Andersen (Social Democrats), has called for an extraordinary meeting of the City Council, as reported by the Finance Administration.
The institutions in question are facing closure due to declining number of children and as part of the municipality’s cost-saving plans. The decision was originally supposed to be made in the Children and Youth Committee, but Emil Sloth Andersen from the political party Alternativet (The Alternative) has used his right of intervention to refer the decision to the City Council.
Sloth Andersen justified his actions by the desire for greater transparency and a democratic process. “It is not fair to send children, parents, and employees on summer holiday with such great uncertainty about the future of their institutions,” said Lord Mayor Sophie Hæstorp Andersen.
The discussions in the City Council will be publicly available, which differs from the closed committee meetings. This was one of the reasons why Sloth Andersen from Alternativet hit the emergency brake. “This case reeks of secrecy. It is difficult to understand how the 33 institutions were selected. Now we want a more open and democratic process,” he said in a written comment.
According to Sloth Andersen, Alternativet wants a more transparent and democratic dialogue regarding the cuts in childcare expenditure.