There are doubts over fee promises
The Green-led Hackney Council is asking local families to share their experience with childcare in the borough as it demands “urgent” reform from central government.
The anonymised testimonies of parents and carers will help the council lobby Westminster to end the childcare “postcode lottery” and create a system that is “fair, affordable and truly works for all families”, the council said on Monday (10 August). The consultation is open until October 11, 2026, after which submissions will be compiled into a report and sent to the government.
The campaign follows the local Green Party’s manifesto pledge to lobby for free, universal, high quality early years care, as well as reviewing nursery fee hikes imposed by the previous Labour administration in September 2025, and introducing alternative fee structures.
At the time, the council said the decision to scrap subsidies for families with a combined income over £55,000 was timed to coincide with the national expansion of government-funded childcare, limiting the financial impact. But the move stoked an immediate backlash as the local campaign group Protect Hackney Nurseries and the Green Party called for a pause and re-think.
Yet the Greens came under fire in June after taking over the council when plans emerged to raise nursery fees in the borough again in September, though these were set by the previous administration. Ella Whelan, a campaigner from Protect Hackney Nurseries, accused the party of breaking its manifesto promises. Mayor of Hackney, Zoë Garbett, said officers were expediting the review of nursery fees in the borough.
On Wednesday (August 12) Cllr Soraya Adejare, Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Early Intervention, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) the council would “continue to look at what we can do better locally to continue to provide support where and when it’s most needed” in tandem with lobbying the government for change.
‘We know what the problems are’
She added that the purpose of the call for evidence was to make sure the council’s efforts were backed up by evidence.
“We want to hear from all local parents and carers that use, have used, or plan to use any type of childcare in Hackney. This could mean their child being cared for in a children’s centre, in a public, private, or voluntary nursery, by a childminder, or through any other formal or informal arrangement,” Cllr Adejare said.
Feyzi Ismail, a parent who joined last year’s campaign against the fee rises, told the LDRS she welcomed the council’s bid to pressure the government for change but said she was “surprised” the council was calling for more evidence.
“I have a lot of sympathy for the Greens and Zoë Garbett. But we have the reports. We know what the problems are. This call for evidence feels like delaying,” she said.
Ms Ismail said the fee increases last year had forced her to move her daughter to a nursery school to avoid paying an extra £400 a month. This meant although the costs were lower during term time, because nursery schools break every six weeks she was spending more for additional childcare on top. “I’ve paid £800 for the last three weeks at a holiday camp,” she said. “It’s cheaper to go away than to spend over £1,000 over the summer for childcare.”
‘It’s an untenable situation’
A survey by the charity Pregnant Then Screwed has found 89% of mothers and 81% of fathers in the UK use annual leave to cover holiday childcare, while a third take unpaid leave.
“It’s an untenable situation for lots and lots of parents and carers,” Ms Ismail added. “There have been endless media stories about this. The government knows this. But what is going to pressure them to adjust their spending priorities?”
Hackney has been hit by a perfect storm of rising childcare costs, stretched local authority budgets and increasing operations costs. In April, the private Hackney Day Nursery and Pre-School closed down amid a “significant” rise in rent, coupled with declining pupil numbers, its bosses confirmed.
This followed the council’s attempt in 2024 to shut two children’s centres, Fernbank and Sebright, to cut £4 million from its early years budget amid creaking finances and not enough government funding.
These plans were blocked by a judicial review brought by families opposed to the closures, after the High Court found the council’s consultation “unlawful”.
In September 2025, the council said it had “no hard plans” to bring back proposals but another consultation on the future of Sebright and Fernbank would come at a future date. When asked by the LDRS, the council did not give an update on the fate of the children’s centres.
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