Hull MP slams Government cuts to children's services

Hull North MP Diana Johnson has slammed Coalition Government cuts to Sure Start children's centres on the day that the Children's Minister visits Hull.

The Lib Dem Minister of State for Children and Families, Sarah Teather MP, will today (10 November) visit Bransholme's Lemon Tree Children's Centre and Little Stars Children's Centre in Preston Road, East Hull.

This visit comes after Hull's Government funding for children's services was cut by £4.6m in real terms - or 24.6%.

The Early Intervention Grant that finances children's centres is being cut by £1.4bn nationally up to April 2013. The Chancellor also removed the ringfence that protected funding for children's centre.

In common with wider local government funding, the Early Intervention Grant funding cuts were focussed most heavily on the most deprived areas. Kingston upon Hull's Early Intervention Grant funding was slashed by £70 per child, but Kingston upon Thames in Surrey lost only £30 per child.

Despite this, the Lib Dem Children's Minister Sarah Teather earlier this year claimed that "we have ensured there is enough money in the system to maintain the network of Sure Start Children's Centres".

Since taking office in May, after the previous Lib Dem administration's Budget had taken effect, Hull's Labour administration has made efforts to repair some of the damage to children's services, such as those for special needs children.

Diana Johnson MP said: "The network of children's centres established under Labour provide help to give youngsters the best start in life and support for parents in getting into work.

"Lib Dem Leader and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg recently boasted about Lib Dems not cutting children's centres.

"Given this and her own previous comments on Sure Start funding, it will be good for the Lib Dem Children's Minister to see the damage that her party has done by slashing funding to Hull and moving money to richer areas of the country.

"Kingston upon Hull lost £70 for each child in Early Intervention funding, while Kingston upon Thames lost only £30 per child.

"She will also see the work that Hull's Labour Council is now doing to repair some of the damage done to children's services by the Government that her party supports.

"As with tripling tuition fees, increasing VAT and slashing police numbers, children's centres are another Lib Dem pre-election pledge, made in full knowledge of the deficit, being broken in government."