In the latest rent review, Westminster Council has told the Carlton Hill Nursery in Maida Vale that it should be paying rent of £120,000 a year rather than its current £60,000.
The nursery, run by the London Early Years Foundation (LEYF), is a registered charity and social enterprise offering subsidies to parents on lower incomes.
Karen Buck has written to Westminster Council asking it to change its mind. “It is insane for a council that has an obligation for the running of childcare to do this. It is common sense not to treat all these properties as if they are letting to Coutts Bank or Harrods. They are there to ensure there is affordable childcare provision. I know these are hard choices but the Council should be considering ways to avoid this.”
![Carlton Hill Nursery](https://www.karenbuck.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/244/2019/08/image-800x0-c-default.jpg)