Staff members at Paradise Park Children’s Centre

STAFF members at Paradise Park Children’s Centre have called for an urgent investigation into the handling of the closure and what will happen to them.

The much-loved nursery in Highbury shut on Wednesday despite the campaign to save it, and people who worked there are out of a job.

The closure came after the Islington Play Association quit its arrangement with Islington Council.

Staff said that they only learned their jobs might be at risk on May 12, and then received the final confirmation of redundancy just a week before the doors closed.

Questions have been raised on their payouts, holiday pay and other administrative processes which legally should accompany any formal redundancy notice.

But they said their enquiries had fallen on deaf ears. Just half-an-hour after the redundancy confirmation email arrived in their inboxes, they received a follow-up email from Islington Council giving them less than 24 hours to express interest in continuing their nursery work for the council.

The Town Hall said it had made a commitment to “safeguard” the jobs of the IPA’s 29 staff members. The Tribune understands this would be a zero-hour contract for a council agency called Matrix, rather than any full-time, permanent work. Staff say that no assurances on pay, hours or job security have been offered at this time.

Campaigners fought to save Paradise Park – and the jobs of those who worked there

Cinzia Tassinari, the deputy manager of the nursery, said: “I am still feeling so much anger, and to be honest every kind of emotion, split fifty-fifty between the council and the Islington Play Association. I don’t feel we have been supported in any possible way from either side. There was barely any time to process the redundancy terms or the option to work for the council, because they were thrown at us so quickly.”

Ms Tassinari, who has worked at IPA for 14 years, said that she would not be applying for the agency job on the grounds that there was no guarantee for long-term work, and to give herself time to process what had happened over the last two months. She said that “psychological support” had been offered by the council to staff to help manage the effects of the past few months.

“It’s rubbish – we don’t need a psychologist, we need a job. We need the children here, and we need to keep the centre open,” Ms Tassinari added

All staff who have worked at the organisation longer than two years have been offered redundancy pay, but no timeframe on payment has been clarified by the IPA. The expectation amongst the staff is that they will have to now claim this from the government.

Simultaneously, a case is being worked on to report the IPA to the Charity Commission.

The Tribune has asked the trustees on several occasions as to why the IPA had exited the arrangement with the council and about claims from councillors that offers to help were not fully explored. These questions have not been answered.

Joy Abegunde, manager of the nursery, said that whilst they had done everything “humanely possible” to prevent the closure, the decision to close the charity had been “premeditated”.

All staff interviewed by the Tribune said that they felt that the shortcomings of the charity had been a “governance” issue rather than financial.

Cinzia Tassinari

“It’s been so hard, and incredibly emotionally draining too. The trustees should really have come into the centre, met with the staff, and communicate. But there’s been no presence at any time.” Ms Abegunde added.

Lloyd Sherwood, from the nursery’s finance department, said that awaiting the redundancy confirmation for over two months had left him “in limbo”.

“It’s the way they’ve gone about the whole process that is the worst. I’m supposed to finish work here tomorrow, and I have no idea what is happening with my redundancy pay,” he said.

Wendy Jeeves, on behalf of the IPA trustees, said: “It’s been a really difficult few months for IPA, and I’m really sad that after everyone’s efforts – staff, trustees, parents – we were unable to save the organisation.

“However, during the consultation process, multiple measures were implemented to ensure due process was followed. This included the involvement of HR advisers and union representation to provide timely communications, and legal professionals to support with discussions around our service contracts. We have also worked closely with the council to ensure continued playground provision in the immediate term.”

An Islington Council spokesperson said: “The charity was legally required to undertake a consultation with its staff about its intended closure.

“The tight timescales were unavoidable in the circumstances – we contacted the nursery’s teaching and learning staff as soon as it was possible to do so. We offered them the opportunity to support the temporary nursery provision from July 23.

“All but one of them have taken up the offer, which provides short-term stability not only for them, but for the children and families affected. The staff can seek permanent opportunities and consider their next steps while still working and, if they wish, can apply for vacant posts in other council-run children’s centres.”