One member said the move to close Drummore Early Learning Centre without councillor approval had caused ‘immeasurable damage’ to the local authority.

A nursery due to close after the summer holidays has been given a stay of execution.

The council decided to close Drummore Early Learning Centre due to a lack of pupils.

However, the move was criticised at Thursday’s full meeting of Dumfries and Galloway Council, with Councillor Andrew Giusti saying there had been “no discussion or consultation” on the move, which was made without input from councillors.

He added: “It’s created a massive jump back from the community, it’s surprised everybody and if I’m being honest with you it just didn’t work, it’s not going to work and it can’t happen.”

The matter was discussed during an item to discuss progress on a mothballing policy for schools.

Chief executive Dawn Roberts said the closure of Drummore ELC had now been paused, with Councillor Giusti calling for that to be put on hold until the new policy was in place.

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Fellow Stranraer and the Rhins representative Councillor Willie Scobie said the way the decision had been handled caused “immeasurable damage to this council” and believed a further four nurseries could be under a similar threat.

He said: “It must be members are not only advised but are part of that decision making.”

However, Councillor Paula Stevenson pointed out no one had disagreed when the existing mothballing threshold of 10 children or fewer was introduced in 2022.

She said: “Now it’s come to us with a nursery of four there’s a lot of anger.

“I’m not saying if it’s right or wrong but when we come to these decisions we need to make sure we agree with them.”

Fellow Labour Councillor Linda Dorward added: “We have an agreed school estate strategy with agreed parameters which will fall down if we continue to revert to parochial behaviours.

“If we debate every single potential closure at full council we will be spending every week, every day at full council, and we will be inundated with community representation.

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“We should respond to community concerns but through the democratic process.”

Council leader Gail Macgregor acknowledged the points being made but said Drummore was a “slightly different case” as there wasn’t currently a mothballing policy for ELCs.

She added: “We had no consultation – every time we have mothballed a school we have had consultation.”

Councillor Giusti’s motion that the closure of Drummore ELC was paused until the mothballing policy was in place was agreed.