Rishi Sunak has expressed his sympathy that a nursery in his constituency is set to close due to the cost of living crisis - but the owner says it is "too late" for that.

Brambly Hedge Day Nursery in Northallerton will shut its doors in April after running for nearly 20 years.

Sue Quincey, owner of the nursery, told The Northern Echo how she had written to the Prime Minister last year explaining her difficulties with rising costs. She never heard anything back.

She explained that a number of the parents with children at the nursery have also written to Mr Sunak and they have also received no reply.

When The Northern Echo asked Mr Sunak what he would say to Sue about the imminent closure he said he was sorry and that he hoped she would reach out to him.

Ms Quincey was not satisfied with his response but said she will try to reach out to him with another letter.

The Northern Echo:

She said: "The heartache of what has happened last week is still affecting us.

"I have had this business for nearly 20 years. I have had to let down a lot of parents.

"I'm trying to find a way forward to make it work. There are parents who want to stay with me.

"I did send Rishi Sunak a letter a year ago explaining to him about rising costs. I didn't hear anything back.

"There's no help at all for us. 

"I will get in contact with him. I will send him another letter.

"It's frustrating he has been to other places when he has never reached out to me.

"We are in his own back garden. I have been here for nearly 20 years. 

"I will try and get in touch with him but I feel that it is too late unless he can do something with the council tax or funding."

The nursery will shut its doors for the final time on Thursday, April 4.

The Northern Echo:

The Northern Echo asked Mr Sunak about the nursery during a visit to Newton Aycliffe.

He said: "I’m sorry to hear that. I hope Sue gets in touch with me and then I can have a chat with her.

"More generally what we are doing to support families is embarking on the biggest expansion of child care, I think, in our country’s history.

"Providing 30 hours of free child care to parents with kids from nine months all the way up.

"That is the next phase is happening in just a few weeks time in April, so that’s us supporting families and child care.

"So, what we have announced before that was an increase in the rates paid to childcare providers to help improve the money going into the sector.

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"I think child care is really important when it comes to supporting families and we are just in the middle of the biggest expansion of child care that our country has ever seen.

"In the budget, we recently announced significant child care changes making sure that more families can get the benefits of child benefits and be eligible for it and improve how it works.

"It removes the unfairness currently because it is measured by individual parents rather than household income."