A PUBLIC sector strike that will see schools and libraries closed and refuse collections cancelled takes place tomorrow (Thursday), writes Goolistan Cooper.

Unions including Unison, GMB, Unite, National Union of Teachers (NUT) and the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) are taking part in the national walk-out in a row with the government over pay and pensions.

Many services will be affected by the strike action in boroughs in across west and north-west London.

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In Harrow , 15 schools will be closed and a further 16 only partially open.Twenty will remain open.

These figures do not include independent schools or secondary schools which are part of academies.

There will be no household bin collection on the day, meaning rubbish and recyclables will not be collected until the following Thursday, July 17.

On the Harrow Council website residents are advised to take excess waste to the municipal tip in Forward Drive, Wealdstone.

Other services in Harrow affected on the day include street cleaning and public grounds maintenance.

In Ealing more than half the 84 schools will close. The council say 45 schools will keeps its gates locked, and 27 more will be partially closed. Twelve will remain open.

It also says it has put plans into place to ensure all essential council service for vulnerable people are still provided.

In Fulham and Hammersmith all libraries will be closed by the industrial action with the exception of Shepherd's Bush Library.

It also said refuse and recycling collections would not be affected, but that at least 21 schools – nearly half of its 43 in total – will be closed or partially closed.

The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea is also advising parents and carers to phone and check with the schools whether it is affected by the walk-out.

On its website it lists eight schools closed and a further eight partially open.

Ten are remaining open, but there are several others which have still to confirm whether it will be affected.


Refuse collections in the Royal borough will run unaffected, but Kensington and Chelsea Register Office close at 4pm and not run its late-night service. It reopens as normal at 9am on Friday morning.

The majority of secondary schools in Hounslow will be affected by tomorrow's strike with at least seven out of 15 fully closed, and another four partially open. Three have confirmed they will remain open.

The strike is expected to affect other Hounslow Council services, though it has yet to to say what it expects the impact to be. A council spokesman told getwestlondon it will ensure urgent services for the most vulnerable residents continue as normal on the day.


Westminster Council said only Marylebone, Queens Park and Victoria libraries will remain open.

And currently 11 schools and nurseries have confirmed that they will remain open or partially open. The council urges parents to contact school directly.
A Westminster spokesman said said front-line services would continue as normal.

Hillingdon Council said it expects most council services to be running as normal but acknowledged some schools and day centres will be affected. A spokesperson said: “We will assess the impact of strike action throughout the day to ensure any disruption to council services is kept to a minimum.”

Many schools in Brent will also be affected by tomorrow's walk-out. It will have more than 20 schools closed, and another 20-plus partially open.