News from Labour Matters

Tories confirm they would close Sure Start centres

As the residents of Maidenhead are finding out after the Conservative council axes a local creche, David Cameron’s party is not child-friendly.

Yesterday The Mirror told us what we all suspected would be the case – a Cameron government would close Sure Start centres for average people:

The Tories delivered a devastating blow to working families yesterday as they unveiled plans to shut thousands of Sure Start centres.

The party’s universities and skills spokesman David Willetts warned that only a few of the 3,197 centres would survive under David Cameron.

Sure Start was set up under Labour to help under fives from poor backgrounds.

But Mr Willetts said the Tories would limit them to only the most deprived areas in a plan to save an estimated £200million. He said: “Sure Start should go back to its founding principles of helping those families in great difficulties, not just become a children’s centre to help parents who are in work.”

Read the full article.

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