Watchdog finds safety breaches at Labour MP’s nurseries

Jas Athwal, MP for Ilford South, founded Village Day Nurseries in 2007.

• Pramod Thomas
• 20 September, 2024

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By: Pramod Thomas

A British Asian Labour MP is facing scrutiny after education watchdog reported that his nursery chain has breached child safety regulations.

Recent inspections by Ofsted highlighted serious concerns at the Village Day Nurseries, founded by Jas Athwal, Labour MP for Ilford south in 2007.

The company operates three nurseries in Essex and Derby, providing care for around 300 children under the age of five.

The investigation revealed ‘safety issues’ across all three locations, reports said. Orchard Garden Nursery in Derby was flagged for not meeting safety requirements, while Royal Village Nursery in Southend-on-Sea was investigated following a significant event affecting child supervision. The third nursery, in Leigh-on-Sea, had previously received a welfare notice in 2021 for similar issues.

The report comes at a time when Athwal’s role as a landlord is also under investigation. He has been described as the largest landlord in the House of Commons, with reports revealing that tenants in his rental properties have encountered severe issues, including black mould and ant infestations.

Athwal expressed his shock over the condition of his properties and has terminated his contract with the managing agent responsible for their upkeep.

Last year, two of the nurseries under Village Day received complaints from Ofsted, highlighting ongoing concerns about child safety.

In response to the recent criticisms, all three nurseries have taken steps to address the problems and are now rated “good” by Ofsted.

Despite these improvements, the situation has prompted questions about transparency regarding MPs’ business interests, especially as the government looks to clamp down on second jobs for politicians.

It was alleged that Athwal has not declared any income from the nursery chain in the House of Commons register of interests.

Purnima Tanuku, chief executive of the National Day Nurseries Association, said that the safety and well-being of children should be the top priority for childcare providers.

“While we can’t comment on individual cases, there is an ongoing recruitment and retention crisis in the early years workforce which has become a serious issue for nurseries. We need more support from the Government for the early education and care sector which is facing huge challenges,” she was quoted as saying.

An Ofsted spokeswoman said, “I’m afraid we don’t comment on individual providers. We don’t have anything to add to the published inspection reports.”