The parents of a two-year-old child have brought a High Court legal challenge to Labour-run Ealing Council’s plan to close 10 children’s centres in the borough.
The judicial review was heard over two days on 24 and 25 February 2026 at the Royal Courts of Justice in the Strand, and a decision will be handed down at a later date.
The hearing, in Court 3, drew parents and campaigners from Save Ealing Children’s Centres to the public gallery, alongside councillors from the Liberal Democrat opposition.
Among the centres planned for closure are Acton (Maples), Ealing (Hathaway and Log Cabin), Greenford (Windmill), Northolt (Northolt Park) and Southall (Grove, Windmill and Greenfields). Copley Close in Hanwell and Academy Gardens in Northolt are also set to be de-designated.
Counsel for the claimants, Jenni Richards KC, argued that the council had breached its duty to secure sufficient children’s centre provision across the borough. She told the court that there is a presumption against closing centres in statutory guidance and said the authority had not properly assessed the impact on deprived and vulnerable families.
The court heard that the main reason for the closures appeared to be financial savings already built into the council’s budget. The claimants argued that this rationale was not clearly set out in the public consultation, which they described as vague and lacking supporting evidence relating to individual centres. They said consultees were not given adequate information about the proposal’s consequences or about alternative options that might have avoided closures.
Part of the council’s defence relied on material contained in other reports published online but not directly referenced in the consultation. The claimants argued it was unreasonable to expect parents, particularly those from deprived backgrounds or with English as an additional language, to search for and interpret documents they had not been told existed. The judge noted during proceedings that many consultees would be unlikely to find such information and suggested that, if they did, some of it appeared supportive of children’s centres.
The claimants also argued that questions raised at consultation meetings were not satisfactorily answered and that the council had failed to set out meaningful alternatives.
Ealing Council’s barrister, Rory Dunlop KC, defended the authority’s approach in court, arguing that the consultation and decision-making process were lawful and that the council was entitled to consider budget pressures when reshaping services.
Councillor Jon Ball, deputy leader of the Liberal Democrat opposition on Ealing Council, attended the hearing in support of the challenge. He said: “Liberal Democrats have found savings to keep these children’s centres open and yet Ealing Labour refuse to listen to reason on this matter which is why a legal challenge was needed.
“Labour is actively cutting front line services for the most vulnerable residents including children’s centre and adult day centre closures. We believe that that the closure of children’s centres is an appalling policy decision that will adversely impact many deprived and vulnerable children, leaving them isolated and struggling to access critical physical, mental and healthcare services.
“Ealing Labour are ignoring academic research which shows that children’s centres are critical to providing children with the best start in life. It is a sad indictment on Ealing Labour that it requires legal action by the community to force them to listen to residents.”
He added: “What I heard this week in court showed yet again that Labour-controlled Ealing Council are not merely poor at consultation – they fail to do the legal bare minimum to make consultations legal. I sincerely hope that the judge will throw out Labour’s children’s centre closure plan.”
Claire Welsby, who previously worked for Ealing Council and led children’s centre services in Ealing from 2006 to 2021, and is part of the campaign group Save Ealing Children’s Centres, said: “It didn’t have to get to this stage if the council listened to Save Ealing Children’s Centres last year but it took a family representing their child to come forward and to take on this challenge.”
Campaigners have held demonstrations outside Perceval House and submitted petitions calling for the centres to remain open. Ealing Liberal Democrats have proposed budget amendments and motions aimed at keeping the centres open, though these were voted down.
The judge, Mr Justice Kimblin, said he would reserve judgment. A ruling could be handed down before Ealing Council’s local elections on 7 May 2026.
