Southampton’s Labour MPs Alan Whitehead and John Denham have congratulated Sure Start staff in Southampton and are encouraging everyone to celebrate their local children’s centres during 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.

As part of the week’s celebrations, Alan Whitehead MP yesterday attended a carnival workshop organised by Surestart MRM (Millbrook, Redbridge and Maybush), at the Pickles Coppice Children’s Centre in Southampton Test.

Dr Whitehead said:

“Parents in Southampton 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 think it is right to thank all the Sure Start staff and volunteers in Southampton who have helped to make them such a success.”

Sure Start Centres provide childcare, healthcare, parenting advice, family support, opportunities to get back into work or training, and other services.

10,057 children and their families across Southampton are now benefiting from the offer of free childcare for three and four year olds.  From this month the Government are rolling out this offer to two year olds, starting with the most disadvantaged families.

At the moment there are 11 Sure Start centres in Southampton and this is expected to rise to 14 by the end of next year.  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.

John Denham, MP for Southampton Itchen, is a long standing champion of Sure Start and is particularly worried about what would happen to the Children’s Centres under a Conservative Government.

Mr Denham said:

“Sure Start is a perfect example of what a Labour Government can achieve which is why we will continue to invest in it.  Whereas Labour recognise the difference Sure Start makes to our children’s early years, to the Tories it is just another public service they would relish axing.”

Labour are committed to protecting front-line public services such as Sure Start during the recession.  However, Sure Start was not within the Tories’ “ring fence” of areas protected from the axe.   If elected Cameron’s Conservatives would cut the Sure Start budget by £200 million per year, meaning one in five centres would be forced to close.  For Southampton this translates as two centres closing their doors for good.