Hillingdon (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Hillingdon Council and the London Early Years Foundation (LEYF) believe that taking the control of 3 early childhood centres in the borough, would stop them from closing.
Hillingdon Council has reached an agreement to commission its early years facility following a community fight to stop a local daycare center closing.
The borough’s early years facilities, which closed in 2022 if not for citizens, will be bought by the London Early Years Foundation (LEYF) in the coming months.
Citing “declining birth rates” and “high costs”, Hillingdon Council announced in the summer of 2022 that it intended to close the early years facilities run by three councils. Upset parents have set up ‘Save Hillingdon Nurseries’.
Parents made the decision to file a lawsuit following multiple demonstrations and a persistent campaign by the group. In order to avert a public consultation, an administrative appeal was initiated with parents who pointed out the council’s “illegal use of special urgency powers.”
What led to Hillingdon council’s reversal of early year centres closure?
Five grounds, including the illegal use of special powers and a violation of the public sector equality responsibility, were raised in the judicial review against the council. The council reversed course and retracted its intention to close the centres in response to the High Court appeal.
One of the campaign’s leading parents was Alex Sim. The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) reported him saying:
“Both our children attended South Ruislip Early Years & Children’s Centre. As my wife and I were NHS key workers, the centre was a lifeline during the Covid pandemic when our prior nursery closed.
“I am so proud of our parent-led community campaign that pressured Hillingdon Council to conduct a proper consultation resulting in keeping the nurseries open on a 15-year contract saving the caring, specialist staff and purpose-built spacious settings for the long-term. I would encourage any parent in the area to enrol their kids there, they’re great!”
How is the LEYF going to manage Hillingdon’s early centres for 15 years?
The centres will be operated for 15 years by LEYF, the biggest non-profit child care social enterprise in the UK. These include Uxbridge Early Years Centre, South Ruislip Early Years Centre, and Hayes’ Nestles Avenue Early Years Centre.
The council’s children’s centre facilities that were previously offered at these locations have been moved to the Hayes and Uxbridge Family Hubs as well as other nearby children’s centres.
The Wren, which shares space with the Queens Walk Resource Centre, will house the South Ruislip Children’s Centre later this month. The council is going to keep offering children’s centre services internally, even though LEYF will be managing the early years centres, which account for more than 100 local nursery spots.
At the moment, the organisation runs 41 nurseries serving children ages 0 to 5 in 12 London boroughs. With the provider having an extensive history of offering childcare services classified Good or Exceptional by Ofsted, the council thinks that the new agreement will “ensure the high quality of early years education in the borough.”
Hillingdon Council claims that because LEYF is the only operator and will have the capacity to add more locations in the future, the new arrangement will bring in a consistent flow of revenue for the council.
Although the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) is aware that the newly appointed operator will not alter nursery rates. Hillingdon Council had previously proposed a price hike of 5 percent that would take place in April 2025.
To find out if parents should anticipate any changes to the services or the way the centres are operated, the LDRS reached out to LEYF. They stated: “All of the nursery based teachers and staff will be transferring across to LEYF under TUPE and we look forward to welcoming them in the coming weeks. Our experienced Integration team will be working closely with the Hillingdon teams to ensure the process is smooth.”
Councillor Susan O’Brien, Hillingdon Council’s Cabinet Member for Children, Education and Families, said: “As family circumstances have changed over the last couple of decades we know parents not only value, but require, the early years provision these centres provide. We’re delighted to be working with LEYF and benefit from its experience and expertise to support our children to live healthy, active and independent lives.”
June O’Sullivan OBE, CEO of LEYF, said: “We are thrilled to partner with Hillingdon Council to take on the management of these three early years centres. At LEYF, we are committed to delivering high-quality early years education and care that not only supports children’s learning and development but also fosters a sense of belonging for families within the local community.”
🌟 Exciting news! We are taking over three Hillingdon nurseries: Uxbridge Early Years Centre, Nestles Avenue Nursery & South Ruislip Early Years Centre.
— LEYF Nurseries (@LEYFonline) January 13, 2025
We’re excited to bring our high-quality, affordable childcare to more families!
Read more: https://t.co/zqxCqfEV9O
What role did public opinion play in saving Hillingdon’s early year centres?
The survey found almost 95% of 3-4 year olds in Hillingdon were enrolled in some form of early childhood education.
But local authorities across London have faced huge funding cuts in recent years. with large budget shortfalls reported This affects their ability to maintain essential services such as early childhood education…
Hillingdon Council initially proposed closing the early years center in 2022 due to increasing financial pressures from rising inflation and budget constraints. But after the community’s violent response, This includes petitions and public meetings. The council then reversed its decision.
A survey conducted during the campaign found that over 80% of local residents supported opening an early childhood center. This reflects the community’s strong investment in early childhood services.
The decision to outsource operations to LEYF represents a joint effort between Hillingdon Council and local residents to ensure early years service Essentials are still available to families in the borough.