Government urged to scrap Sure Start and save millions
Charlotte Goddard
Friday, September 11, 2009
The government should save money by scrapping Sure Start, ContactPoint and Building Schools for the Future, according to a report from the Institute of Directors.
The report, produced in conjunction with The TaxPayers' Alliance, also calls on the government to abandon plans to extend the school leaving age to 18, scrap the Educational Maintenance Allowance (EMA) and reduce non-frontline staff in health and schools by 10 per cent. The proposals are part of wider suggestions on how the country could save £50bn a year.
Abolishing Sure Start would save £1,456m from 2010-11 onwards, according to the report, which says that, while the programme's "intent is admirable", Sure Start is "failing to deliver on its promises".
Anne Longfield, chief executive of 4Children, said: "Due to its relative infancy we are only just beginning to see formal evidence of the beneficial impact of the 3,000 Sure Start children's centres and the next few years will be vital in building on these strong foundations for the future. But parents are very clear that Sure Start provides real support and in some cases is literally changing lives."
The report also says the EMA has failed to make an impact on participation rates, and that capital investment in schools should be the responsibility of schools themselves rather than the Building Schools for the Future programme.
