Save Hackney's Children's Centres

We’re a group of parents, carers and local community members trying to stop Mayor Caroline Woodley and Hackney Council from changing the childcare provision at Fernbank, Hillside, Oldhill and Sebright Children’s Centres, closing two – Fernbank, N16 and Sebright, E2 – completely.

Why are we asking for your support?  

It is well established that the first three years of a child’s life is where the biggest impact can be made in terms of health, education and wellbeing outcomes. Access to high-quality, affordable childcare is a critical part of supporting children and families at this key time of children’s development, especially the most vulnerable.   

Closing these Children’s Centre nurseries will result in the loss of 129 affordable childcare places to Hackney families. This is a cut of a quarter of all subsidised nursery places in Hackney. The closures will disproportionately affect vulnerable children, lower-income families, women, single parents, and people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds.

These places can serve 200+ families as many use the nurseries part-time. The centres also provide extended services such as stay and play sessions, childminding drop-in and infant feeding to hundreds of children and their carers, as well as vital support to children with special educational needs or disabilities. 

The proposed closures also mean that over 50 members of staff are facing possible redundancy, during a recruitment and retention crisis in the Early Years sector. 

We call on the Mayor of Hackney, Caroline Woodley, to:

● immediately halt the consultation on the proposed closures of Sebright and Fernbank in August 2025 and proposed changes in provision at Oldhill and Hillside

● commit to safeguarding all subsidised childcare places and Children’s Centre nurseries in Hackney

● ensure that all subsidised childcare places are properly advertised to make sure that families are aware of the services that are available to them.

We believe that more Children’s Centre closures will follow as budgets are squeezed further and Hackney Council continue to make cuts to vital services. Children’s Centres provide vital support and services to local families and we must fight to keep them open!

No Children’s Centre nursery closures!
No cuts to affordable childcare!