Parents in Balham have been left confused and frustrated after they were turned away from children's centres that previously welcomed them.

Alex Sykes, the editor for the Wandsworth Mumsnet website, said several mothers had reported problems accessing the sites including Smallwood and Triangle.

In one instance, a mum was told she could not use Smallwood children's centre as her house was closer to another Wandsworth location.

A second mother was told she could no longer use her regular centre because although she lives close by, the centre is controlled by Wandsworth Council and she lives in the Lambeth-run part of Balham.

One parent said: "I have two children's centres near me and the difference in distance is only a few minutes walk.

"Annoyingly, the session times at the closer one don't work with my baby's nap schedule so no more play for us."

Mum Nadine Patel said: "I have been told that I am from the wrong side of the street to my local centre even though I am in Wandsworth and it is local."

Confusion continued when parents who use Fayland children's centre received a letter from the centre manager which said that non-Wandsworth residents could not attend sessions from January 12.

The letter, on Wandsworth Council headed paper, said: "Dear Parents and Childminders, 

"After a period of review all the Children's Centres in Tooting are introducing new policy for our Play and Learn and Bookstart sessions.

"This policy relates to childminders and nannies and also for non-Wandsworth Borough families who access Children's Centres based in and around the Tooting area.

"(1) Childminders and nannies can attend the sessions if:

"They are minding a child who is within the Fayland reach area. This reach area is determined by a postcode and a childminder or nanny will need to check the child's postcode with a member of staff before signing in at the session.

"Any individual childminder or nanny can attend once a week.

"There will be no more than 2 childminders or nannies with a maximum of 4 children at each session. Spaces for these children will be allocated on a first come first served basis.

"(2) Families who DO NOT live in Wandsworth can no longer attend Fayland Children's Centre play sessions. This is because we have to give priority to families living in our immediate area and for families living in the London Borough of Wandsworth.

"The above practice will begin from 12th January 2016 and be reviewed at the end of February 2016."

See the mumsnet discussion here.

Labour Councillor for Earlsfield, Rachael Stokes, said: "I completely understand the need to target certain groups, but this should not be to the exclusion of others.

"While some mums or children may not be categorised as disadvantaged, the children's centres still provide a vital service.

"The need for universal provision reflects the fact that some of the needs of parents and children are by their very nature universal.

"The women who contacted me were all upset by being made to feel so unwelcome."

Wandsworth Council has indicated that the nature of Ofsted requirements is part of the reason, with some centres potentially struggling to balance targets of inspections with universal services under the Children's Act.

A spokesman for Wandsworth council said: "As local parents will no doubt be aware, there is a huge demand for the services offered at these centres and this demand is growing year on year.

"Space at some centres is limited and the sessions and services provided do need to be of high quality to have the most impact and regrettably this does mean that at certain times we must give priority to Wandsworth residents.

"Obviously the services are aimed primarily at people who live in Wandsworth - who do of course pay towards the cost of providing these services - rather than those living in other boroughs, who should be receiving the same levels of service from their local town halls.

"It must also be pointed out that children's centres are subject to Ofsted scrutiny and inspection and they are judged on how well they engage with and support local people living in a closely defined 'reach' area, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds. Ofsted places a very strong emphasis on ensuring that the majority of people using centres are from the 'reach area'.

"It is certainly not our current policy to exclude parents and families who live in other parts of London, but there certainly is a requirement to make sure that we properly meet the demands from families within our reach areas and view their needs as our priority before we are able to extend this support to non-residents."

According to Wandsworth Council, the letter sent out by Fayland centre is "incorrect".

Have you been turned away from children's centre sessions in Wandsworth? Email rebecca.taylor@london.newsquest.co.uk