Ruislip & Eastcote & Northwood Gazette
‘We haven’t heard from PM about nursery closures in constituency’
PARENTS HIT OUT AT THEIR MP FOR FAILING TO RESPOND TO PETITION
PARENTS in Boris Johnson’s parliamentary seat say they have been left devastated after Tory-run Hillingdon Council quietly announced all three council-run nurseries will be shutting down – and say local Tories will not answer their emails.
The nurseries provide 102 childcare places across the borough and 29 staff will be affected if the closures go ahead this December.
Uxbridge Early Years Centre, Nestles Avenue Early Years Centre and South Ruislip Early Years Centre provide care for children under five, with many staff working there for more than 10 years - a contrast to the rapid turnover of employees at many private operators.
Hillingdon Council is forcing through the closures under “special urgency”, which means the move will not be properly scrutinised in the parents’ eyes.
The Conservativerun council wants to save money – but families fear it will come at the cost of affordable childcare places.
Parents expect to see an increase of between £400 to £1,000 per month in switching to private providers, with some parents potentially having to drop out of the labour market altogether to look after their children.
However, they say local Tories, including Uxbridge and South Ruislip MP Boris Johnson, have failed to respond to their petition or their letters expressing their concerns over the shut-down of early years centres.
Mr Johnson is currently on his second holiday in two weeks, and largely out of contact, despite leaving office in just a few weeks.
Local parent Orest Bakhovski said: “Every parent is scrambling for a private nursery now.
“The cost impact will be significant on parents.
“The council leader Ian Edwards is quite an advocate for early years care. He said all councils should work together to strengthen it.
“The next month he suggests it’s not that important and they’re shutting facilities down.”
He added: “Parents have less choice and less access, particularly for underfives before they start school. It’s extremely frustrating.
“No steps seem to have been taken to make these viable.
“The council just wants a cash injection. Yet the budget in February said the books were balanced for five years.
“Staff were showing prospective parents around the week they got the announcement they were closing down. “Distraught parents were calling up who were going to go on mat leave and said they’d struggle now.” Mr Bakhovski said they have “not heard a peep” from Boris Johnson, adding: “It’s a wall of silence. It’s not right.
“It feels like we don’t have an MP at the moment. “You’d assume a team was watching his inbox, but no one has responded.
“It feels like he’s just waiting for the next chapter – or he’s moved on earlier. “Him moving to Dulwich wouldn’t say a lot. He’s not had his heart in Uxbridge. It’s a career seat.”
The dad of two said parents have heard “nothing” from Conservative councillors in charge in response to their concerns, adding: “These were the only nurseries open during the pandemic to support key workers. “I’ve got a three-year-old that’s in one of the nurseries. I was going to have my eight-month-old start at the same nursery at the end of November. “They’re fantastic. They give a brilliant level of care. It’s not a nice thank you to the staff after their work in the pandemic.”
First time mum Su said: “I felt supported by staff at Nestles Avenue and was excited for my child to start there in a matter of a few weeks.
“However, at such short notice Hillingdon Council has stopped new children from joining the Early Years Centres with immediate effect.
“As I draw my maternity leave to a close, I am left scrambling for alternative childcare providers so late in the day.
“Not only has Hillingdon Council’s decision negatively impacted my wellbeing, I am worried and anxious at the care my child will receive, as well as struggling to meet the extra costs associated with finding a new provider.”
Opposition Labour leader Cllr Peter Curling said: “The decision seems to have come out of the blue right at holiday time.
“Where has the PM – our MP – been? Boris Johnson was at one of the centres only in November, and now it’s closing down he’s nowhere to be found.
“It hasn’t felt like we’ve had an MP since 2015.”
He added: “We will do whatever we can to support the parents. We’ve got a full council coming at the end of September, so it’s far from a done deal. If we can help the parents and get the council to listen or pause it, I’m sure some solution can be found.”
He suggested turning the centres into co-operatives run by staff and/or parents.
A Hillingdon Council spokesperson said: “Following considerable deliberation, we have made the difficult decision to close our three early years centres at the end of December.
“Despite trying different ways to keep the service sustainable and in the context of declining birth rates, unfortunately the centres continue to be financially inviable, costing council taxpayers more than £532,000 a year in subsidy.”
Parents say this contradicts the evidence that birth rates have largely rebounded to pre-pandemic levels.
The council spokesperson added: “The council’s provision represents only 1% of the capacity in Hillingdon and demand can easily be met locally by other providers. Financial pressures caused by current rising inflation have forced the council – like all local authorities – to look at where efficiencies can be made. The closures will allow us to fund enhanced and more targeted family services.
“We know this announcement will be an unwelcome surprise to those affected. We will actively support children and families to find and move to an alternative provider as we phase out the service in the next few months. We will also provide support for affected staff.”
The parents have set up a petition to save the nurseries.
Staff were showing prospective parents around the week they got the announcement they were closing.