Posts Tagged ‘Sure Start’

What could be expected if the Tories were ever to form an administration on Wirral?  Here is the nightmare scenario that could emerge:

• Tory cuts to the Home Office budget would be equivalent to 112 fewer police officers in Merseyside police force.
• Tory cuts to Labour’s school building programme could put at risk 22 school rebuilding projects, affecting the entire secondary school rebuilding programme in the Wirral.
• Across the country, Tory cuts could mean almost one in five Sure Start centres closing. In the Wirral this could mean up to 4 Sure Start centres closing. To find the names and locations of local Children’s Centres click on the link below:

www.surestart.gov.uk/surestartservices/settings/fundedsettings/

The Tories have traditionally been the Party of the Bankers and the Stock Exchange gamblers.  When Tories speak of  ’Compassionate Conservatism’ it conjours an image of a compassionate crocodile, but just remember one stark fact:   David Cameron has no fewer than 14 millionaires in his shadow cabinet. 

They already plan to gift a BILLION pounds, in tax cuts, to 3000 millionaires.  

That’s real ‘compassion’ – for their natural supporters - isn’t it?

 6th December 2009

First published on 17th September 2009, this account of the Tories’ approach to Labour’s Sure Start is well worth another look.  Just lately Wallasey Tories seem forced grudgingly to make  favourable sounds about Sure Start.  Can it be that they realise just how popular it is?  Are they now trying desperately to distance themselves from the attacks on Sure Start they would be bound to implement if Cameron’s Shadow Cabinet (which includes 14 millionaires) were ever able to get their hands on it?

 Angela, centre, supported the Sure Start ‘Party in the Park’ today, held to celebrate national Sure Start Week.  Sure Start is, after all, a proud achievement of the Labour Government.

So what exactly is ‘Sure Start’? 

Severely under threat, if ever the Tories were to regain power, it’s your Labour Government’s nationwide system of ‘one stop shops’ for parents with children under five.  The Sure Start Centres provide childcare, healthcare, parenting skills, family support and ’get back to work’ training opportunities.

Strangely, considering their Party’s threat to the future of Sure Start, some local Tory councillors turned up for a while.  They were joined by turncoat Denis Knowles who was never elected as a Tory but who can generally now be seen tagging onto Leah Fraser.    

We wonder whether our readers might just think that a tad hypocritical considering that their Party, led by David Cameron, is commited to taking £200million each year from Sure Start, to be spent elsewhere. (Do let us know what you think of that.)

 THE TORY PLAN IS EQUIVALENT TO CLOSING ONE IN EVERY FIVE SURE START CENTRES.

In other words closing a massive chunk of Sure Start facilities when families need them most. 

And on top of this they’ve refused to exempt Sure Start from their planned cuts in future.   But  the public are entitled to ask Labour turncoat Knowles and his new friend, Liscard’s Cllr Fraser,  

“Do you support your Tory party’s declared intentions – to cut £200m a year from Sure Start? 

Turning up for photo-snaps may give an impression of support for Sure Start, so let’s invite them to openly declare that they disagree with their Party’s policy of massive cuts in Labour’s Sure Start provision.