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Families
As a mother and grandmother, I know what pressures families face these days; to give their children the best start in life and to balance their own family and work commitments. Labour understands this and has delivered a framework of investment and support for your family.
Labour is helping all hard working families and our goal is to end child poverty. We are making work pay and we have boosted support for families with young children. For most parents the happiness and wellbeing of their children is what matters most. Anne Campbell
The Facts
| Investment | An additional £7 billion will be invested in children, families, education and skills by 2007-08 compared to 2004-05. Funds for Sure Start will rise from 2004-5 to 2007-8 by £669 million, an average annual real terms rise of 17 per cent. |
| Supporting Families | Labour has almost doubled paid maternity leave from 14 to 26 weeks, and almost doubled maternity pay from £55 to over £100. Labour introduced two week's paid paternity leave for fathers. Since 2003, parents of young children now have the right to request flexible working hours from their employer. |
| Commitment to All | Work is paying, even for low income families. In Cambridge alone Child and Working Tax Credit awards are helping 4,100 hard working families. In the Eastern Region at least 130,000 people benefited from the most recent rise in the national minimum wage helping families - and particularly women. |
The work goes on. A Labour Government will:
Guarantee 15 hours of week of free high quality care for all three and four year olds and work towards a goal of 20 hours a week.
Ensure that there is a Children's centre in every community by 2010.
Give every school-aged child access to out of school care and activities between the hours of 8-6pm throughout the school year.
The Myths
The Lib Dems claim that under their new local income tax, you would be better off. This is not true. Low paid families who do not pay council tax at the moment would have to pay local income tax - hard working families are going to be hit hardest by this new tax.
The Alternatives
The Lib Dems opposed the 10p tax rate.
The Lib Dems voted against the increase in the minimum wage, which has benefited many people, 70 per cent of which are women.
The Lib Dems have pledged to axe the Child Trust Fund.
The Tories would jeopardise affordable childcare and early years investment. When the Tories were last in power, the proportion of children living in poverty more than tripled. The Tories opposed tax credits, increase in maternity pay and allowances, paternity leave and the right to request flexible working. These basic minimum rights are part of the Social Chapter.