Watchdog deems Labour MP nurseries unsafe
Labour MP Jas Athwal, who manages Village Day Nurseries, is currently conducting an investigation into the nursery chain due to identified safety infractions. There are three nurseries located in Essex and Derby, providing care for approximately 300 children under five. The inquiry highlighted safety concerns at all three locations, with Orchard Garden Nursery in Derby identified as hazardous.
The investigation uncovered a noteworthy situation involving monitoring children at Royal Village Nursery in Southend-on-Sea, where a staff member had been the subject of multiple complaints. Leigh-on-Sea received a welfare notice in 2021, making it the third nursery to address similar concerns.
The emergence of litigation in the press is opportune, given that Athwal’s allegations pertain not just to his current employment in the rental property sector. His tenants have reported significant issues in his rental houses, including black mold and ant infestations.
The state of his properties appalled him, leading him to terminate his contract with the managing agency in charge of their oversight. Last year, Ofsted received complaints regarding child safety concerns at two nurseries operated by Village Day.
All three have since addressed issues and enhanced their standards, resulting in Ofsted grading each of them as ‘good’. The problem has elicited apprehensions over the necessity for MPs to disclose their commercial interests and manage their business dealings discreetly, particularly in light of the government’s initiative to prohibit secondary employment for lawmakers.