Children’s centre opens in Tower Hamlets but parents are still confused about service restructure

A children’s centre has been officially opened in Tower Hamlets amid a restructuring of all the borough’s children centres which has left many parents feeling confused

The borough’s Mayor Lutfur Rahman opened the Meath Gardens Children’s Centre in Globe Town yesterday.

Under the new structure, which will see some children centres become ‘lead’ outlets and others ‘secondary’ centres, Meath Garden will be a lead centre specialising in services for disabled children.

But the centre at the edge of Meath Gardens, in Smart Street, will also run mainstream classes for parents and their babies, such as baby sensory classes, and toddler play groups.

The centre was heaving with parents, babies and toddlers yesterday enjoying play equipment laid out in its back garden and a baby sensory room inside.

The council has yet to outline the difference between lead centres and secondary centres under the current restructuring of children centres which has left some parents feeling confused after they say classes have been cancelled at some centres.