Dozens of parents, trade unionists and community activists gathered outside Ealing Council offices on Wednesday (14 May 2025) to protest over plans by the Labour-run council to close more than half of the borough’s children’s centres.
The protest, organised by campaign group Save Ealing Children’s Centres, comes in response to Ealing Council’s proposal to close 13 of the 25 centres across the borough.
Campaigners say the plans will devastate families who rely on local services ranging from play sessions and early years development to health and safeguarding support.
More than 75 people attended the demonstration, with speakers including parents who use the centres.
Raj Chana, a parent and governor at Greenfields Nursery School and Children’s Centre in Southall, said: “Four out of six children’s centres are proposed to close or be repurposed in Southall. Yet Ealing Council claims this will improve early help services and reach more young children and families. How does that make sense?
“Repurposing will effectively close a children’s centre to current and future young children and their families, and remove access to vital and much valued children’s centre services in their local area.”
Clare Welsby from Save Ealing Children’s Centres added: “Dismantling services for the very youngest children and families goes against all the evidence that the early years are fundamental in giving all children the best start in life, and threatens their human rights to health, education and family life, risking increasing health and education inequalities. How can this improve early help to the families who may need it most?”
Campaigners also criticised the consultation process, which ran from February 3 to April 27 2025 and called on Ealing Council to extend the consultation period and engage better with the community on the proposed changes.
Among the organisations involved in the campaign to save the children’s centres are: Ealing Trades Union Council, Southall Community Alliance, Ealing National Education Union, Ealing Matters, Indian Workers Association – GB, Ealing Save Our NHS, Villiers High School, Featherstone High School, Dormers Wells High School, Students Federation of India – UK, Asian Community Concern, Ealing Parks Foundation, Contact Ealing, Wolf Fields Primary School, London Tigers, Blair Peach Primary School, Three Bridges Primary School, Ealing Community Trust, Apna Youth, Horn of Africa Disability Elderly Association, Helplink, West Acton Residents’ Association, The Monitoring Group, Old Oak Neighborhood Forum, K/A Longford Avenue Management Limited, Lancaster Estate Residents Association.
Ms Welsby also said the council has “failed to engage” with the campaign group. She said: “We sent an invitation to all Ealing Councillors, signed by 30 local organisations and community groups including the National Education Union and schools. We are demonstrating today because the council has so far failed to engage with us.”
Craig Smith, an organiser for Save Ealing Children’s Centres and campaigns officer for Ealing Trades Union Council, claimed the consultation was “fundamentally dishonest”. He said: “Ealing Council has shown it is capable of the cruellest cuts to vital public services and to staff jobs in its pursuit of cost savings.”
Mr Smith added: “There is evidence that the council has already earmarked the savings from closing children’s centres in its budgeting for the next few years. You can’t hold an open and honest public consultation when you have effectively already banked the cash.”
Ealing Council has said the proposals are still under consultation and that all responses will be thoroughly reviewed before a final decision is made.
Writing on its website, the council said: “Once the consultation closes, the council will review all the responses and prepare a report for cabinet members, who will make the final decision on how children’s centre services are reorganised in the future. Any changes are likely to be implemented later this year.”
A further protest is planned for next month (10 June 2025), ahead of the next full council meeting.
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