Call for Gove and Clegg to ‘face music’ on £7m cuts

Labour-led Sheffield Council has been heavily criticised after it announced it would slash its early years services budget in response to Government demands that it save £50m in 2012/13.

Many parents in the city fear the cuts will lead to the loss of activities for their children, and a petition of more than 10,000 names has been presented to the council opposing the move.

Coun Jackie Drayton, Sheffield’s children’s services spokesman, issued her challenge to the Cabinet Ministers as figures were released showing the shocking level of child poverty in the region.

The Campaign to End Child Poverty said its statistics showed Sheffield, Leeds and Hull have some of the highest rates of child poverty in UK, with Government cuts set to make the situation worse.

Its “child poverty map” also reveals big disparities, particularly in Sheffield, where child poverty is five per cent in Mr Clegg’s Hallam constituency but 34 per cent in neighbouring Brightside.

Campaign chairman Enver Solomon said Leeds Central suffered 38 per cent child poverty and Hull North had 32 per cent, while Harrogate has a seven per cent rate and Skipton six per cent.

“In Yorkshire, the huge disparities that exist across the region are becoming more entrenched and many more children are set to become trapped in long-term poverty,” Mr Solomon said.

“Local authorities are having to deal with reduced budgets but they have critical decisions to make.”

Explaining Sheffield Council’s children’s services proposals in detail yesterday, Coun Drayton said 20 nurseries currently subsidised by the council would have their cash cut off from April.

But she said they would be supported as they adjusted to operating without public support and added all other council-provided activities would continue, but reorganised to become more “efficient”.

Rounding on Ministers, she said: “The Government is making devastating and unfair cuts to our funding for early years services.

“By cutting £6.8m from Sheffield’s Early Intervention Grant next year we are having to consider some very difficult decisions.

“While we have done as much as possible to protect services, Michael Gove and Nick Clegg 
owe it to the people of Sheffield to come and explain why they are this taking money away.”

The cuts proposals have been “called in” for scrutiny by a specially-convened panel of councillors which will meet in Sheffield on February 27. It is this meeting the ministers have been asked to attend.

Yesterday Sheffield Central MP Paul Blomfield presented a second petition to Sheffield Town Hall on behalf of the Fair Deal for Sheffield Campaign, which is also calling for a rethink on cuts.

Almost 7,000 people have signed the document, which has also been supported by a wide range of local organisations, charities, churches, trade unions and South Yorkshire’s police commissioner Shaun Wright.

Mr Blomfield said: “The huge response from Sheffielders to the petition shows the deep concern and anger that so many people feel about the Government’s unfair cuts.

“People have signed the petition in large numbers to say we want a fair deal for our city.

“I hope that Sheffield Council will now endorse the Fair Deal petition and the campaign can continue to grow and attract support.”

Last night a Department of Education spokesman could not confirm whether Mr Gove would accept Sheffield Council’s invitation, but refuted Coun Drayton’s claims over funding.

The spokesman added: “Sheffield has been allocated £5.4m for the early education of two year olds in 2013-14.

“We are increasing early intervention funding in England to £2.4bn in 2013-14 and to £2.5bn in 2014-15. Councils have the freedom to spend this where it is needed most.”

No comment was available from the Deputy Prime Minister.