Clare Welsby, spokesperson for Save Ealing Children’s Centres (SECC), explains why the group is taking legal action over Ealing Council’s decision to shut or repurpose 10 children’s centres across the borough – a move it says will impact thousands of young children and their families.
“The campaign group Save Ealing Children’s Centres (SECC) are launching a legal challenge to Ealing Council’s decision to close or repurpose 10 children’s centres across the borough. This decision would impact thousands of very young children and their families – including the 17-month-old claimant who will now lose three children’s centres closest to where she lives in Ealing.
“The group raised £5,000 in just eight days, which has enabled their solicitors Rook Irwin Sweeney Rook Irwin Sweeney – Public Law. Human Rights. to start to review their case against Ealing Council. They are seeking a stretch fundraising target of £7,000 to cover any additional costs (currently at £6,090), and plan to seek legal aid if the case proceeds to Court.
“There are lots of unanswered questions for parents and communities across the borough. After months of community protest, the Council’s answer to many of these questions (still) is – it’s not decided yet. The Council have only indicated what plans they have for the 10 children’s centres that will be closed or repurposed and two (Copley Close and Academy Gardens) slated for de-designation, closure and repurpose.
“The Council seems either unaware or unconcerned about the anxiety and distress this uncertainty has caused for parents and the community since September 2024 when the closure or repurposing of half of Ealing’s Children’s Centres was first mooted.
“There is still no Early Help Plan for children’s centres other than recruiting more children’s centres volunteers – and the Outreach plan on which this decision was predicated won’t be available until January 2026.
“The future of the Nursery at Hathaway Children’s Centres is uncertain which creates a double shock for families losing the Hathaway Children’s Centre; Greenfields is closing as a children’s centre, yet it runs Havelock Children’s Centre building on the excellence of its Nursery School and community connections– who will run this centre which is remaining? No one seems to know. The same applies to Grove House (the children’s centre will close) and Windmill Park Children’s Centre which remaining.
“It seems incomprehensible when the national Government has highlighted the value of Sure Start Children’s Centres and is putting funding into reinventing them as Best Start Centres, that Ealing is drastically cutting its own children’s centres. This also seems at odds with the government’s own claims that ‘if you already have a Family Hub or children’s centre in your area, it will continue to operate and may be enhanced under this new programme.’ Best Start Family Hubs: what parents need to know – The Education Hub
“Ealing Council has not genuinely engaged with Save Ealing Children’s Centres, who have attended consultation meetings, responded formally to the consultation, contacted all Councillors on numerous occasions and attended, asked questions or made statements at Full Council Meeting and Scrutiny Meetings.
“The Council would not meet and connect with 30 local community groups and organisations including schools, residents’ associations and the National Education Union who signed a collective letter imploring the council to ‘connect with them’ on this issue, in line with Ealing Council’s own Connected Communities Vision.
“There have been 2 petitions lodged with the Council before they changed the petition rules on 15th July – making it harder for residents to bring a concern to the Council for debate. Neither of these petitions have yet been scheduled for debate.
“The first online petition was started by a parent in September 2024 https://www.change.org/p/halt-the-planned-reduction-of-children-s-centre-services-in-ealing; which is still open and now has 2,455, signatories (the majority from Ealing) and a second separate paper petition with over 2,000 signatures all from Ealing.
“Finally, the Council also appears unconcerned with the potential for this decision to significantly undermine the human rights afforded to all Ealing residents under the UK’s Human Rights Act. In particular, the decision to close such many centres which provide essential mental and physical wellbeing services to vulnerable women and children could threaten Article 8 of the HRA – the right to private and family life, home and correspondence.
“For all of these reasons, Save Ealing Children’s Centres have resorted to a legal challenge.”
