Plea to treat Brighton and Hove children’s services fairly across the city

An opposition councillor has spoken out about the financial threat to Sure Start children’s centres across Brighton and Hove.

Councillor Dawn Barnett, who represents Hangleton and Knoll for the Conservatives, said that the Greens were considering cutting spending on the children’s centres in the council’s budget.

She raised her concerns after Councillor Sue Shanks, the Green cabinet member for children and young people, was reported to have spoken about budget pressures.

Councillor Shanks was reported to have said that Brighton and Hove City Council was required to make £50 million savings over three years.

And given that children’s services were such a big part of the council’s overall budget, it would be difficult to spare them completely.

But the administration would try to maintain services in Whitehawk and Moulseoomb in particular.

Councillor Barnett said: “Sue Shanks states that she can’t guarantee that Sure Start nurseries won’t be affected by budget cuts.

“Let’s not forget the £47 million that Whitehawk had from EB4U. I’d really like to know how the residents benefited from that.

“No one else in the city had that kind of money and yet the Knoll estate was one of the most deprived in the whole country.

“They’re putting politics before the good of the city. They have a duty to look after all of the city.

“Many areas have social housing – Hangleton and Knoll, Coldean, North and South Portslade, Woodingdean.

“When the Conservatives were the administration the money was spread right across the city.

“The Greens are playing politics and children will suffer.”

The Greens say that the council relies for most of its income on grants from the Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government, with council tax making up much of the rest.

And that the coalition government is imposing cuts which it blames on the previous Labour government and the banking crisis.