If there was any more evidence needed for the Millmead Children’s Centre in Dane Valley, it is the 5 year old boy who was found storing food in his pocket he was given at the nursery “to give to my mum cos she is hungry”. Heartbreaking doesn’t cover it.
I want to reduce the number of children – and parents – who experience that. It’s what I came into politics to do. Jan who runs the centre is a force of nature, managing to keep the centre going through years of cuts, supporting families with a nursery, midwifery appointments, childcare, baby care, a youth club, domestic abuse services and refuge access, all under one roof.
The centre was built as part of the previous Labour government’s Sure Start programme, designed to help all families, and especially the very poorest, have a better start in life. In the past few weeks we have seen the exam results for 16 and 18 years olds demonstrate the gap in achievement between those born in wealthy post codes and those in communities like Dane Valley. Places like Millmead help to close that gap. We need more of this kind of service, not less.
And yet Kent County Council has made the choice to cut the funding for this centre in an effort to close its multi million pound funding gap. After 14 years of Tory austerity and mismanagement nationally all of local government is struggling. But Kent is making choices that will have long term consequences for our community and our economy.
Children will learn less, parents will be less able to work and support their families, women and children will be less safe from domestic abuse, violence and neglect, teenagers will have one less place to go, parents will have less access to advice to help them raise their children.
Raising children is a hard task for everyone and when money is in short supply it’s harder still. That’s why children’s centres like Millmead are so vital. They are long term investments in our children and our communities. Without them we are more likely to have poor health, higher crime rates and fewer people in work.
It’s important that we tackle child poverty: the last Labour government took over half a million children out of poverty – and lifted millions of children out of absolute poverty overall. That achievement has gone into reverse over the last 14 years. In 2022-23 over four million children were living in poverty nationally. In Dane Valley that means more than a quarter of children. The ministerial taskforce announced by the prime minister to work on a Child Poverty strategy is an important step to reducing these terrible statistics. Kent County Council can play its part by reversing its proposal to cut the funding for this children’s centre.
There are always difficult choices to be made when there isn’t much money around, as we have already seen at national level. Kent County Council needs to rethink its proposal. Cutting the funding for a centre like Millmead will make tackling child poverty harder.
Please respond to the consultation here and show your support for the families and children of Dane Valley. https://letstalk.kent.gov.uk/family-hub-services-seashells-and-millmead?
All the more reason to remove the Two-Child Benefit Cap.
Help children now!
PollyB is correct in saying “There are always difficult choices to be made when there isn’t much money around, as we have already seen at national level. Kent County Council needs to rethink its proposal. Cutting the funding for a centre like Millmead will make tackling child poverty harder.”
So why did she vote a couple of weeks ago to retain the two-child welfare cap!?
This article smacks of political opportunism. Showing up for a photo and making statements fall very short of action. I’m waiting to see PollyB walk her talk.
Yup Pirate Jenny, and I am watching closely if she votes to reduce the Winter Fuel Allowance too! The Tory’s took my free TV licence, so whats next for pensioners, my Bus Pass?
I knew this service when it was first implemented as a Sure Start programme under the last Labour government. They offer invaluable, innovative help and support to families who most need it and were always a much used and respected service. It seems unbelievable that this valued service is being threatened.
KCC have also cut many of KAE’s courses. There are now no arts or crafts courses, no history and genealogy courses, no writing and literature courses available. KCC have obviously been reading IoTN and its many comments, and have agreed with some of its comment writers that courses which they consider to be of practical use to people are the only courses they should now be funding. However, Kent residents may not be as pleased with the damage that closing Millmead (for example) will cause to many local families as they are with the loss of what they consider to be unnecessary, trivial and non-essential courses.
The question remains, as usual,”What has the council been spending money on?”
There are several art and design courses for the new term at Hilderstone in Broadstairs. The only difference is that they’re around 25% more expensive as they are no longer subsidised.
You can thank me later.
Here’s a comprehensive list of Kent Adult Education courses …
https://www.kentadulteducation.co.uk/new-courses/
Don’t believe everything you read.
My other half has being doing a local art and crafts course for years, and got an email just a week or two ago confirming that most courses are still running (albeit at a higher price). For some reason they are ONLY bookable via phone and not via the website. Rees, yourself and others interested need to contact Hilderstone or wherever direct.
You can thank me later too.
Andrew- I have looked at the “Courses” sections on all the KAE centres on the “new courses” link you gave, and the courses currently on offer in each centre are the same. 4 kinds of course, and arts and crafts aren’t among them.
Again, M&M – you need to phone or visit. I can assure you that some are running.
I’m not going to thank Peter Checksfield for anything, considering that he has called me a “Welsh whore” on one of these comments threads.
Big hugs, hun.
How’s the Thanet house hunting going Polly? I can give you a list of local estate agents if you’re struggling.
No worries Peter I’m having on of my properties renovated at this very moment 4 bedrooms two bathrooms driveway and good security once all the work is completed I will be offering for use to the Labour Party to use as they wish on the condition it’s used by party members. Polly may well want to use it.
Strange how all those keyboard warriors who criticised Craig for living in Medway are silent over Polly living in London.
Why the talk of cuts to services the council tax will increase next year by an extortionate amount deemed necessary by the Labour government.
Will be ample to keep these services open unless the increase in council tax is used to fund over inflated wage and pension shortfalls for council workers.
I’m pretty sure Council Tax funds can’t be used to add to pension pots.
As someone who had a long working life in the NHS and Local Government I want Plumbjob to understand that workers pay substantial amounts into the pension with every pay-check they get.
The pension payments are already theirs, earned, often, after decades of work. The same applies to NI contributions and the state pension.
We pay NI, pension and tax. The government role is to care for our money and give it back when we are older.
On the Polly MP I agree that its a bit rich her shedding crocodile tears for Millmead when she voted to keep the two-child welfare cap.
That said I trust she’ll vote against the means testing scheme her leader has to cut the winter fuel allowance for many vulnerable people.
Another DFL ….
Not very often though.
There is plenty of evidence to show how good for all children the Sure start approach is. We must hang onto this vital service .KCC has hollowed it out already. It used to have many more activities going on. There used to be a kitchen with a chef and trainees. I remember the dishes they used to make using local produce brought in by the Kent gleaners. At this time of year they used to make a silken smooth very tasty pumpkin soup.
We often ate together after a morning doing craft activities.
Loneliness is debilitating and difficult to tackle. Those sorts of
Gentle times spent together will probably not feature in a decision making process based on saving money but they count.
Checksfield on his usual blame Polly Billington for everything.I think after the last 14 years of utter stupidity, perhaps a bit of quiet is due.The new government has hardly settled in yet, so why not offer proposals that make things better.
Sure start was a proven success and dealt with families in difficulty at an early stage.
Now children are being referred to unlicensed children’s homes at £200k+,most of which is profit for overseas investors.Is that taking back control.
KCC is actually sending itself to Carey Street because of its own stupidity.
Nokes hallucinating again.
My only criticism of Polly is her relative invisibility and seeming reluctance to move here, resulting in her obvious lack of familiarity with local issues (I’m still waiting for her views on axed bus services, but I strongly doubt that she’s even been on a bus in Thanet).
As for the Labour government so far? I’ve a holiday booked for Northumberland next month, so I’m very happy indeed that they’ve caved into the LNER’s strikers demands, and my trains should be running to schedule. I’m glad I voted Labour.
Hey Peter,
Her and her wife have moved down here very recently.
She mentions it in an article in the Margate Mercury……
Oh good. Look forward to seeing her out and about in our high streets and on our buses.
I am not the one who was calling himself Ms Pink stone time.
You have a problem with women and this residency stuff is just bull to disguise your mysogny.I have no way of knowing what you voted in July, but evidence of your posts over the years, makes me think that either you ticked the wrong box by mistake or you are being economical with the truth as always.
I am afraid many of the issues besetting Thanet are UK wide and are large enough to be seen from space, so where one lives is almost immaterial.The fact is the UK itself was under a mass hallucination that led to the 5 worst prime ministers of all time.Only Teresa May and Rishi Sunak being slightly less awful,than the others.
I’m so anti-women and anti-Labour, I voted for a female Labour candidate (and if you look at her facebook page, you’ll even see a smiling photo of me with her and her team). Where were you during the election? Oh yeah, doing jigsaw puzzles.
According to the latest update on KCC website they are walking back the closure of the children’s centre, and the food bank, but something called the “HUB” is still in question. Go to the meeting on the 12 sept 10-1pm at mill-mead centre to find out more.
That is not an update. That has always been the case.
If you read the Consultation Document, it’s all explained there.
KCC do not run the Children’s Centre, so have no say about closing it.
The Children’s Centre have a contact with KCC to provide the Family Hub services. This contract comes to an end in March next year. KCC already provide the same Family Hub services free of charge at other centres within a 1.5 miles radius of the Millmead centre. The question is if they should renew the contract at a cost of £225,000 a year to duplicate services they provide elsewhere in the district.
Even if they decide to renew the contract, there is no guarantee that the Millmead Children’s Centre would win an bid they make for it. As any new contract would be open for any providers to bid for.
Curious that this point wasn’t explained in the article.
Well done Polly for quickly getting involved in the Millmead sure start situation and throwing your support behind keeping it open.