Reports emerging from around the country paint a grim picture of children's centre closures and cuts, despite Government claims that it has allocated enough funding to maintain the current network.
David Cameron's own poverty advisor, Labour MP Frank Field, has warned that children's centres will be 'decimated' by council cuts without immediate intervention. Research conducted by 4Children and the Daycare Trust suggested that up to 250 settings could close this year.
In an interview with the Times last week, Mr Field blamed the Government's commitment to devolving power to local councils - which has led to the removal of ring-fencing for Sure Start grants - for the scale of the cuts that have been reported.
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