Islington Council's Children and Young People Scrutiny Committee has received a referral regarding the proposed closure of nursery provision at Paradise Park Children's Centre, sparking concern among parents and staff.
Councillor Jara Falkenburg raised the issue, highlighting the serious, urgent, and significant local impact of the potential closure on July 22, 2026. The nursery is operated by the independent charity Islington Play Association (IPA), which informed the council on December 17, 2025, that it was no longer financially viable to continue providing the contracted service.
The Executive Member for Children, Young People & Families stated that while the council cannot force IPA to continue, they are working to ensure a seamless transition for families. However, communication and information sharing from IPA have been below expectations. The council is exploring three options: supporting families to move to alternative provision across Islington, providing temporary emergency transition care at the Paradise Park site, or temporarily increasing places at other council nurseries.
A recent financial stabilisation proposal from IPA, dependent on council funding, was received on June 24, 2026. This proposal was submitted amidst unclear and contradictory communications from the charity, including notification of imminent insolvency. The Executive Member noted that it is difficult to see a path for IPA to continue provision at Paradise Park, but the council will consider the proposal.
The council is committed to spending public money responsibly and ensuring sufficiency of provision. While acknowledging that parental preference is important, the council stated that it was not prudent to spend public funds to re-provide a service when there was sufficiency elsewhere. The specific criteria for assessing 'sufficiency of provision' are not detailed, nor is the exact weighting of parental preference against this.
Efforts are underway to provide emergency transition provisions on the Paradise Park site. As of the meeting, there were potentially seven families in need of alternative childcare for whom engagement had been difficult. Despite multiple attempts by the Family Information Service, these families had chosen not to engage. The council had repeatedly sought assurances from IPA about their plans to communicate with families, as IPA had not been forthcoming with contact details. The Family Information Service had proactively contacted families for whom they had contact details.
Councillor Falkenburg requested an urgent written briefing detailing current timelines, options being considered, support for families, evidence of alternative provision, and an assessment of the impact on affected children, particularly those with additional needs. The committee resolved to receive this briefing by September 2026. Further details on the council's performance and targets can be found in the Public reports pack.
