Solihull Council has confirmed it is cutting funding to and closing all but four children's centres in Solihull in order to save £600k. As Labour's Parliamentary Candidate for Meriden, I am strongly urging the Council to reconsider this action and listen to the views of local parents - shortsighted cuts may cost everybody in the long run and so it must not be too severe in its bid for short term cuts.
The issue isn't just one of inequality, it's one of economics. Solihull Council, in the Meriden constituency, are cutting the children's services budget by 30% and planning to close numerous children's centres. This is despite the fact that 175,000 children in the West Midlands are suffering from poverty.
In Meriden 4,530 people are living in fuel poverty, 31,452 people needed the NHS but had to wait over a week to see a GP, the numbers of working people on housing benefit went up by 47%. This creates a stressful situation for families and Labour's Sure Start Centres are a big part of the solution.
To this end it's right Sure Start Centres are at the top of Labour's agenda in Solihull, Meriden and nationally. We live in a society that is clearly very unequal. Many of the benefits of being brought up in a more comfortable environment, like being read to as a child, having good role models, good quality housing and a good diet, aren’t always available to poorer families. Children's centres provide the opportunities that many families desperately need.
