During a visit to a Sure Start children's centre in Stockwell, southLondon, last week. Secretary of State for Children, Schools and FamiliesEd Balls said, 'We have beaten our target and are well on track to meetour manifesto commitment for 3,500 children's centres - one for everycommunity in England - by the year 2010.
'We want to see the services Sure Start offers develop and expand ratherthan be cut back. Many children's centres are now offering advice abouttraining or employment opportunities.'
He said that under a new pilot programme, tax credit advisers would belocated in children's centres to ensure that parents received theirentitlement to help with childcare.
He added that he wanted to 'get more dads - as well as mums - engagedand involved' in children's centres.
Mr Balls attacked Conservative party policy, claiming that the Torieswould cut Sure Start funding by 200m each year. He added, 'UnderLabour, Sure Start will soon be a permanent and universal service forall families and children under five in every community in England.'
According to Labour, Tory leader David Cameron had said he would makethe cuts in Sure Start by axing additional outreach workers to berecruited from this year in order to employ more health visitors.
'However, the Government is spending an extra 79m per year onoutreach workers - not 200m, as the Tories say. This will mean afurther 121m of cuts to Sure Start each year - on top of the cutsto outreach workers,' said a DCSF statement.
FURTHER INFORMATION
The reports are available at www.primaryreview.org.uk.