Lancaster MP calls on government to ‘rebuild’ family services
Lancaster & Wyre MP Cat Smith has called on the Labour government to ‘rebuild’ community services across her constituency.
Sure Start services were a proud legacy of the last Labour government, revolutionising family and community services, with research showing that children who lived within a short distance of a Sure Start centre for their first five years were 0.9 percentage points more likely to achieve five good GCSEs at grades age 16.
The MP would like to see a return to that support.
Following the Conservatives entering government, services were cut, leaving patches across the country without access to support, including Lancashire, she said.
One in four families with children under five cannot access local children’s centres or family hubs, rising to one in three among lower income families.
This means thousands of parents cut off from vital community support networks and specialist services – left to navigate the challenges of parenthood alone, as well as a devastating impact on children’s life chances, with early development, wellbeing, and future attainment all in jeopardy.
Ms Smith said: “The Conservatives took a scythe to family services in Lancaster & Wyre. When it comes to education, they and Reform only seem interested in cutting state school budgets to restore private schools’ tax breaks.
"That’s why I’m calling on the Labour government to rebuild these services. We did it before with Sure Start, and I know we can do it again.
“Every family, no matter where they live, deserves access to the support they need to give their children the best start in life. I’ll keep pushing to make sure that happens here in Lancaster & Wyre.”