Greenwich Green Party has learned that the Under 1 Roof Nursery is in danger of closing down, leaving 74 kids without a place to go and parents left in the lurch during the lead up to Christmas.
From The Murky Depths was the first to report about the struggles that families and the local community are facing to try and keep the nursery open. The nursery has had only six weeks’ notice to vacate their building even though they have all the permissions they need. This sudden closure would not only be bad news for the children, but also the valued staff who might lose their jobs.
Karin Tearle, the Green Party’s candidate for Greenwich & Lewisham in the Greater London Assembly election next year, is appalled by the sudden threat to this valued community resource.
”Major development projects such as the one in Royal Arsenal should have provided sufficient space for a nursery,” she said. “ I’m appalled this nursery is under threat of eviction just before Christmas. Childcare provision affecting dozens of children and parents shouldn’t be at the whim of landlords.”
“We need to make sure that housing development also comes with funding for facilities that benefit the local people that live there. Community Infrastructure Levy is a charge made to property developers to ensure some of their profits go back to facilities for the local area, but the current level of Community Infrastructure Levy rates in Greenwich are a gift for developers. Greenwich Council has some of the lowest rates in London and a recent Council review has not recommended raising them to the level they should be at.”
Greenwich Green Party is appealing for local residents to sign the petition to help put pressure on the landlord to change tack and keep the nursery in place.
The Green Party’s support for Under 1 Roof Nursery aligns with the Greens’ broader policy on childcare. Many parents are facing an impossible situation – they can’t afford not to work, but childcare costs are so high that they can’t afford to go to work. We want to see 35 hours of free childcare for all from the age of nine months so that every child gets the care they need and every parent can go to work if they want to.
You can read more about Green Party social policy at our policy website.