Between January and April 2024, Hackney Council consulted on proposed changes to the way childcare was delivered in some of its children’s centres.
In June 2024 the Council received a judicial review claim. On 5 November 2024, the Council announced that it decided to settle by consent the judicial review relating to the proposed closure of local children’s centres following advice from its external legal advisors.
A lessons learned review was commissioned by the Mayor of Hackney to reflect on factors leading to judicial review and its outcome, and to help the Council learn from the process.
The Council will look at ways in which the entire organisation can learn from the review and act on the recommendations.
The Council will use the 2025/2026 school year to gather up-to-date data, as well as information from its children’s centres about the impact of changes to local childcare, including central government-funded childcare hours that are being offered to families. This data, together with any new guidance issued by the central government, will be used to inform future plans for the Council’s children’s centres, which are expected to be shared during the 2026-2027 school year.