We, the workers, parents and community of Islington, call on Islington Council to urgently halt the closure of Paradise Park Nursery and protect jobs for all workers at Islington Play Association (IPA).
IPA runs Paradise Park Nursery and four adventure playgrounds that local families rely on every day. Due to financial difficulties, the charity has said it can no longer continue operating. In response, the Council has proposed taking over the playgrounds but allowing the nursery to close — with no guarantees for around 30 workers.
The workers face losing their livelihood, children without their loving nursery and parents scambling to find alternative childcare options in a part of London where nurseries are over subscribed.
Serious concerns have been raised that not all possible options for keeping both the nursery and playgrounds open have been fully considered before this decision was reached.
This means the closure of Paradise Park Nursery may be premature and avoidable.
No meaningful consultation has taken place with workers, parents or the wider community — and there has been no real opportunity for families, worker or the local community to put forward alternatives or shape the future of the services they rely on.
Nursery workers are facing losing their jobs and so are playground staff. Even though the Council has said the playgrounds will remain open, playground staff have been issued ‘at risk’ letters. This uncertainty is causing avoidable distress to committed staff who have supported Islington families for years.
We call on Islington Council, Cllr Una O’Halloran and Cllr Sheila Chapman to:
- Pause the closure of Paradise Park Nursery immediately
- Review all available options to keep both the nursery and playgrounds open
- Guarantee no compulsory redundancies for all workers at IPA
- Put urgent interim arrangements in place to keep the nursery and playgrounds operating
- Work with staff, parents and the community to secure a long term future
- Engage in meaningful consultation before any final decisions are made
