FORMER governors have called for council chiefs to be stripped of their power to govern nurseries in Black-burn and Darwen.

The ex-board of governors at a Little Harwood nursery have accused Blackburn with Darwen Council of "breaking promises" since it took charge of its budget and day to day running.

And they want the system to be scrapped after a government review into the running of nurseries.

The council success-fully applied for government Power to Innovate (PTI)' status in 2003.

One of five local authorities to use the legislation, the council removed the governing bodies of seven of its then nine nurseries in favour of a board system.

The boards include parents and health and social service officials but are overseen by the council.

The council felt the model better served its amalgamation of nurseries into its 13 children's centres which also include health, family support and childcare.

These included Kelsall Avenue Nursery, Little Harwood, which closed in January and moved to Little Harwood Children's Centre along with Church Hill House Nursery and Little Harwood Pre-School as part of a £1.5million restructuring.

Former governors of Kelsall Nursery have asked the DFES to refuse extension of the system.

Former chair of governors, Diane Sleigh, 38, who is also on Little Harwood Children's Centre's board, said: "When it did this in 2003 the council promised it would retain the nursery's status.

"If the council is unsuccessful we would want to govern the nursery again and open it back up at its old site which had outstanding outdoor facilities.

"There is only one teacher and at the moment isn't a proper nursery. The centre's emphasis is on care and not education."

Of Kelsall's eight staff, only a teacher and two assistants took up posts at the new centre.

Two nursery nurses were made redundant and its head and other staff moved elsewhere.

The PTI will make its judgement in March.

But executive member for children's services, Coun Maureen Bateson said: "We have won national recognition for our centres.

"Hundreds of happy children and families who use them are proof how far we have come and it is because of our success that we have applied to renew the PTI provision."