Exclusive:Anger as nursery to shut at Scottish Government's largest office building

The facility at Victoria Quay in Edinburgh will shut in October.

Parents working in the Scottish Government's largest office building have been left angry and frustrated after it was announced the on-site nursery will close.

Families have been told the facility at Victoria Quay in Edinburgh will shut in October.

The Government said its focus is now on supporting children, parents and staff to "minimise disruption as much as possible".

Victoria Quay in Edinburgh | PA

The nursery, which is operated by North Edinburgh Childcare, is licensed to provide 37 full-day equivalent places for children up to the age of five. Its website describes it as a “workplace nursery for Scottish Government employees”.

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One frustrated civil servant said the closure will have a big impact on parents who live locally in Leith, where alternative services often have long waiting lists. They said families now face a stressful hunt for replacement provision.

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “After an unsuccessful tender process where the sole bidder withdrew their bid, the nursery provision at Victoria Quay will be closing at the end of the current contract period as there is no contractor in place."

They added: “We understand the impact this will have on families using nursery care provision at Victoria Quay. Our focus is to support the children, parents, carers and staff impacted by the closure of the service and minimise disruption as much as possible.

“We are working closely with the nursery, NECEL [North Edinburgh Childcare], to ensure every family is supported during this transition and we are in the process of extending the current contract to 10 October 2025 to allow additional time for families to source alternative childcare and for staff affected to find alternative employment.”

The existing nursery includes a "tadpole room" with nine places for children aged up to 22 months, a "starfish room" with 12 places for toddlers aged 18 months to three years, and a "seahorses room" providing 16 places for children up to the age of five.

The lack of dedicated nursery provision at the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh has long been a source of frustration for MSPs. Kate Forbes, the Deputy First Minister, described it as a “long-standing gripe” at an event earlier this week.

“If you can’t keep hold of your mums in politics, then I think you lose a really strong voice for all the other mums out there who are struggling with childcare,” she said.

North Edinburgh Childcare was contacted for comment.