Parents are set to protest against plans to close a council-run nursery under a series of planned budget cuts.

Bright Start Nursery in Barrack Yard, Brighton, is threatened with closure by Brighton and Hove City Council as it works to address a multi-million-pound budget shortfall.

However, campaigners - including staff at the nursery, parents, and representatives from the GMB union - say the plans would deprive the city of an essential service and are calling for more transparency over the decision-making process.

Protesters will gather outside of Hove Town Hall later this afternoon before a scheduled meeting of the city council to raise awareness of the importance of the nursery to the community.

Mark Turner, GMB branch secretary, said: “The closure of Bright Start could result in the compulsory redundancies of at least 20 nursery workers, predominantly female and low-paid, currently providing excellent care and education to nursery children, up to 20 per cent of whom have special education needs.

“We call upon the council to withdraw this threat of closure to this vital front-line service to families in our city.

“The potential nightmare before Christmas for both employees and families around this closure proposed by the Green Party has similarity to the Grinch’s approach to Christmas and must be stopped, so our members can fully enjoy the return of their family festive feelings.”

The Argus: A protest outside Hove Town Hall will call for the nursery to be saved from closureA protest outside Hove Town Hall will call for the nursery to be saved from closure

A petition to save the nursery from closure has attracted almost 1,500 signatures online and will be discussed by councillors at the meeting this afternoon

The council faces a £19 million “shortfall” next year, with a potential budget black hole of £54 million over the next four years.

Earlier this month, deputy leader of the council Hannah Allbrooke said that “awful decisions” would have to be made following a series of cuts to funding by the government.

She said: “My vision is rather than closing nurseries, we keep them open and we keep them flourishing.

“This government has shamefully decimated our budget - stolen £100 million from us. Then they’ve caused us to cut a further £200 million in savings from essential services our city relies on.

“It is a series of really, really difficult choices that I don’t think anyone wants to make.”