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Marylebone nursery to close
Parents have lost their battle to save a popular Marylebone nursery from closure.
University of Westminster announced yesterday it would close its Luxborough Street nursery at the end of December.
The facility offers around 20 places for the children of the university's students and staff, and is open to the wider community outside term time.
Parent and staff member Elishba Zachariah was just one of the people to add her support to a 1,000-signature petition in support of the nursery.
She said: "Having a nursery on campus makes a huge difference to organising childcare.
"It means I can work longer hours and not worry about rushing to pick up my child."
The fate of the nursery was due to be sealed with a decision in late August, but the consultation period was extended by seven weeks and concluded on Friday.
University of Westminster agreed to the extension to allow the staff team to work with union UNISON on a new business plan for the nursery, and the university's other nursery site in Harrow.
The plan proposed a 20-25 per cent rise in fees, an increase in families from the surrounding community using the service, and contributions from the university's fundraising and marketing teams, which the university deemed "impracticable".
Carole Mainstone, registrar and secretary of the University of Westminster, said: "We know how important nurseries are to the families who use them.
"We have listened with sympathy to the opinions expressed during the consultation.
"This is a challenging time financially.
"Above all else the University's role is to provide higher education to adult students, and we must conclude with deep regret that we cannot afford to run our own nurseries - particularly as the number of students using the service is so low.
"The alternative business plan proposed does not stand a realistic chance of success, and we have respected the wishes of our staff not to pursue the option of outsourcing."
She added: "I want to pay tribute to the hard working staff, and thank them for their unerring professionalism during a challenging time for us all."
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