Nursery World - Closure may follow pay rise

Nursery workers who successfully battled for increased pay last year are now worried about the future of their local authority nursery centres. Following strike action last June, nursery officers in the London borough of Ealing negotiated a fair pay and grading claim (News, 9 August 2001). But now the council is assessing its under-fives services and the four nursery centres, Disraeli, Hanbury, Hanwell and Windmill, where the nursery officers work, plus five nursery schools, are reported to be under consideration for closure. Responsibility for the nursery centres was moved from the social services department to education last year.

Following strike action last June, nursery officers in the London borough of Ealing negotiated a fair pay and grading claim (News, 9 August 2001). But now the council is assessing its under-fives services and the four nursery centres, Disraeli, Hanbury, Hanwell and Windmill, where the nursery officers work, plus five nursery schools, are reported to be under consideration for closure. Responsibility for the nursery centres was moved from the social services department to education last year.

A nursery worker said, 'When the centres were transferred to education we were told this was to expand on what the council provided, and develop and im- prove the service. Is this what the council means by "best value"?' Brian Blake, Unison convenor for housing and social services, said, 'This has been brought about by a budget crisis in social services. It is due to being unable to hand 1m of the budget for nursery centres to education.

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