A HIGH Court has ruled that Darlington Council’s decision to close the Kids and Co nurseries will undergo a judicial review.

Parent Sarah Walker, who campaigned to save the nurseries on Borough Road and Northwood, took the council to court over its controversial decision to close the service in August this year.

In a hearing at Leeds High Court on Wednesday an Irwin Mitchell solicitor acting for Ms Walker was given permission to go to a full judicial review over the closure plans.

It will be held at the High Court in Leeds in early July and Ms Walker is delighted that hope remains for the popular nursery service.

She said: “The announcement that this case is going to get its day in court is such good news and will give hope to all parents who rely on Kids and Co on a daily and weekly basis.

“However, we recognise this is just one step forward and we are hopeful that the judicial review will lead to some clear action that will ensure proper care and attention is given to the issue of childcare provisions in Darlington and the surrounding area.”

A Darlington Council spokeswoman pointed out that permission was given to move to judicial review on just one of the four arguments presented against the closure.

She added: “Given that the matter is still before the court it would be inappropriate to comment further until the review is concluded."

The council’s cabinet voted in January to close Kids and Co - which is reportedly losing £212,000 annually – as part of its efforts to shave £14m from its budget.

An internet campaign to save the nurseries attracted more than 1,000 supporters.

Alex Peebles, of Irwin Mitchell, said: “There has been a huge public outcry in Darlington in relation to these plans and Wednesday’s decision is an important step towards ensuring that the proposed closure – and its impact – is subjected to a thorough level of legal scrutiny."

He added: “We remain very hopeful that a judicial review will ensure that important questions are answered and guarantee the future of this important local community service.”

Cyndi Hughes, Darlington Council’s cabinet member for children and young people, said: "All nursery provision in Darlington is good or outstanding and there are vacancies in settings across the borough.”

Kids and Co provides 180 childcare places in Darlington and creates 43 jobs.