Labour MP Michael Foster this week visited the Churchwood Sure Start Children’s Centre in Hastings and Rye as part of National Sure Start Children’s Centres Week. The week of activities across the country is designed to promote the universal services on offer for families with children under 5.

Michael Foster MP said:

“I’m pleased to be here celebrating all the hard work of our local Sure Start Children’s Centres. Parents in Hastings and Rye regularly tell me how much they value their local Sure Start centre and the real help they offer with childcare, healthcare and other services for their children. So I want to thank all the Sure Start staff and volunteers who have helped to make them such a success.

“This week of events is promoting the universal services on offer for families across Hastings and Rye including childcare, healthcare, parenting advice, family support and opportunities to get back into work or training.

“Before the Labour government was elected there were no Children’s Centres but I’m delighted that there are now 28 across East Sussex, 10 of which are in Hastings and Rye, offering services to 17,159 families with children under 5.

“By the end of next year there are expected to be a further 7 Children’s Centres – a total of 35 – open across East Sussex. This will meet Labour’s manifesto target of 3,500 Children’s Centres open by 2010 and every one of them will soon be linked to a named health visitor.

“Unfortunately the Tories want to cut the Sure Start budget by £200 million per year. This is the equivalent of one in five Children’s Centres – that’s 2 of the 10 centres in our area – having to close their doors, just at the time when local families need them most. The Labour Government will keep investing in Sure Start because the early years of a child’s life are so important. I don’t want to put that at risk by letting the Conservatives cut Sure Start.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors

1. Photo shows Michael Foster with Joshua and Abigail two of the children at Churchwood Sure Start Children’s Centre

2. In their ‘Helping new families’ policy document published on 15 March 2008, the Conservatives committed to cutting “£200 million per year…from Children’s Centres” to spend elsewhere: http://www.conservatives.com/~/media/Files/Downloadable%20Files/Helping%20new%20families.ashx?dl=true. This would mean cutting 19.5% from Sure Start budgets – the equivalent of one in five Children’s Centres being forced to close.

3. When asked specifically about Sure Start, the Shadow Chancellor George Osborne said “I’m not protecting” the Sure Start budget from cuts.

“Nick Robinson:          Are you protecting Sure Start?

George Osborne:         I'm not protecting other areas. I'm not going to go into specific details of individual programmes but I've made a positive decision and this is part of the choice that David Cameron and the modern Conservatives have made to protect health spending, to protect international development spending because we think those are important commitments for the kind of society we want (interruption)."

Nick Robinson and George Osborne, BBC News, 30 June 2009

4. To find the names and locations of local Children’s Centres click on the link below: www.surestart.gov.uk/surestartservices/settings/fundedsettings/