News from The Labour Party

“Tory cuts could close one in five Children’s Centres” – Hughes

Beverley Hughes MP, Labour’s Children’s Minister, today warned that Conservative Party plans to cut £200 million each year from the Sure Start budget could see one in five Children’s Centres forced to close their doors.

It comes as research published today shows that nine out of ten parents who use Sure Start Children’s Centres are happy with the service. More than 2.3 million children under five and their families now have access to services through nearly 3,000 Children’s Centres across England.

But the £200 million cut proposed by David Cameron’s Conservatives means cutting almost 20 per cent of the Sure Start budget each year – the equivalent of closing one in five Children’s Centres.

Beverley Hughes MP, Labour’s Children’s Minister, said:

“As this latest research shows Sure Start Children’s Centres make a massive difference to parents and under-fives up and down the country. By 2010 we will have a Children’s Centre in every community – 3,500 across the country – and each one of them will soon be linked to a named health visitor.

“But all that would be put at risk by the Conservative Party’s proposed cuts, which could mean closing one in five Children’s Centres across the country.”

Ed Balls MP, Labour’s Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, added:

“I am delighted that we can see the real impact this radical reform is having on children and families. The support and services offered by Children’s Centres are particularly valuable in an economic downturn when parents are increasingly reliant upon support and advice from professionals to help them stay in, or get into employment and get the affordable childcare they need.

“However this would be put at risk if the Tories got into power. Cameron’s plans to cut these services would leave families without the support they need and would be a devastating blow to parents and children in communities across the country.”