CYP Now - Consider the children: Why localism needs to be a devolution of resources not just power

On 4 January, we heard the new years speech of our current Prime Minister Rishi Sunak “building a better future” which pledged to half inflation; grow the economy, reduce debt; cut hospital waiting lists and stop migrant crossings.

Increased support for children needs proper government funding, McPherson says. Picture: zinkevych/Adobe Stock

A day later we heard the opposition leader Sir Keir Starmer promise to end “sticking plaster politics” by not “spending its way out of the mess of Tory legacy” and shifting the power balance back to communities.

Now it would appear that both political party leaders genuinely believe they have the winning “pre-election campaign appetisers” to win the “Build Back Britain Better” votes in future elections. However, I am slightly confused about how any strategy that fails to acknowledge or include clear commitment to investment in the children and young people of its nation, beyond maths lessons, can be taken seriously.

Let’s look at a quote from the Care Review: “No more should we have young people battling the same bureaucratic nonsense that the young people of 30 years ago were also dealing with.”

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