Council welcomes new operator to run early years centres
Thursday 11 September 2025: Hillingdon Council has completed the handover of its three early years centres to the UK's largest and most successful charitable childcare social enterprise as part of a continued drive to deliver value for money services and support children and families to live healthy, active and independent lives.
The keys to the three sites were officially handed over today (Thursday 11 September) by Cllr Susan O'Brien, Hillingdon Council's Cabinet Member for Children, Education and Families, and Cllr Jonathan Bianco, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Corporate Services and Property, to Rob Allman, Area Operations Manager for LEYF and Ann Coughlan, Nursery Manager.
The new arrangement will ensure the continued high quality of early years education in the borough and will generate regular income for the council, with LEYF having sole occupancy of the sites allowing it to expand the number of places it offers.
Cllr O'Brien said: "We know how much our families value our early years centres and the dedicated support they provide, and we're delighted to see the delivery of high quality early years support continue in the borough under LEYF's direction."
Cllr Bianco added: "The decision to grant LEYF leases for our early years centres will deliver value for money for residents, while continuing to meet the needs of families effectively. It forms part of our ongoing transformation and savings programme by making best use of our assets, saving on running costs and generating income for the council."
Dr June O'Sullivan, CEO of LEYF, said: "Local authority nurseries are so often the beating heart of their communities. At LEYF, our social enterprise model helps them thrive - boosting occupancy, attracting talented educators, and reinvesting every surplus back into nurseries to secure a brighter future for children.
"We're proud to bring this proven approach to Hillingdon and remain ambitious to grow further, acquiring more nurseries across London and beyond. This expansion cements LEYF's role as a national leader in reimagining the early years sector - showing that with the right vision, investment, pedagogy and social enterprise ethos, we can create sustainable, high-quality, community-driven nurseries where all children, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, can flourish."
