Gordon Brown and Iain Coleman open refurbished Sands End Centre

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Local Labour MP Iain Coleman joined the Chancellor Gordon Brown last week (15 February 2005) in officially opening the newly refurbished £1.9 million Sands End Community Centre and the first of a programme of New Neighbourhood Children's Centres in Hammersmith and Fulham, urging the Government to increase the 1,044 new child care places created in Hammersmith and Fulham since 1997, to expand the three local Sure Start programmes and to continue to enable free education for all three and four year-olds.

At the opening, home of one the borough’s three Sure Start programmes funded by the Labour Government, Gordon Brown reaffirmed Labour's commitment to expand the Sure Start programme and give more help to parents balancing work with family life. The Government plans to establish 3,500 children's centres by 2010, and all secondary schools will offer round the clock activities for children aged 5-14 by 2010.

Iain Coleman MP said: "We have come along way when it comes to giving children the best start in life since 1997, thanks to new initiatives and increased investment. Spending on child care, nursery education and Sure Start programmes has more than trebled while Labour has been in government.

"This has made a big difference in Hammersmith and Fulham: it means more than 1000 new child care places created since 1997, three local Sure Start programmes up and running, and free education for all three and four year-olds whose parents wish it.

"But we need to do much more to give Hammersmith and Fulham kids the best start in life and I will be working hard to make sure these measures are agreed and made law sooner rather than later.

"There will be a clear and simple choice at the next election in Hammersmith and Fulham: a choice between support for families and improved public services with Labour, and £35bn of cuts and a return to the bad old days under the Tories, who have said they would scrap Sure Start."

February 27, 2005