Labour has pledged to covert more than 3,000 vacant school classrooms across England into nursery facilities if elected next month.
Ahead of the upcoming General Election – which is due to take place on Thursday 4 July – in a couple of weeks time, Labour and its leader,Sir Keir Starmer, have been outlining the Party’s vision for the both the immediate and long-term future of the country.
As part of this, the Party has today unveiled what it says is a “clear plan” for childcare and early education nationwide.
Labour is pledging to “give every child life chances” and “every parent work choices”.
Labour will deliver better life chances for children and better choices for parents with our plan for childcare. pic.twitter.com/JrthwOFX6B
At the heart of this is the intent to make childcare “available, accessible, and affordable” throughout the country, predominately through the creation of more than 3,000 new nursery classes in England – which will be done by converting spare school classrooms into “high-quality spaces” that’ll be paid for by putting an end to the tax breaks that private schools are currently “enjoying”.
The Party says it’s also intent on delivering the “enhanced entitlements” the current UK Government has offered, if elected, which it hopes will eventually save thousands of pounds a year for working families.
On top of this, another key part of Labour’s plan unveiled this week is to make sure childcare doesn’t end when children start school – with one other major thing the Party is pledging including the promise to provide free breakfast clubs in every primary school in England, paid for by ending tax ‘loopholes’ and “clamping down on tax evasion”.
Labour has pledged to create 100,000 extra nursery places nationwide if elected / Credit: Labour
Labour believes breakfast clubs not only give parents the choice for an earlier start to their working day, but also “drive up attendance and standards” and “improve behaviour and attainment” of pupils.
“Labour’s plan has been built by learning from how childcare works the world over,” Sir Keir Starmer explained.
“It stretches from the end of parental leave to the end of primary school, because every parent knows that childcare costs don’t end when children start school. Labour is determined to deliver not just more childcare, but better childcare and early education – for the best start to every life.”
As tends to be the case with politics, the Party’s plan for childcare and early education has been met with both praise and criticism from unions, experts, and so on.
Trade union UNISON and its assistant general secretary, Jon Richards, said the expansion of nurseries “could make the world of difference to parents struggling to find affordable childcare” and that Labour’s plans therefore “make a lot of sense”, but other industry-relevant experts have warned the plans are like a “sticking plaster solution”.
They feel that already-understaffed nurseries don’t have the space or staff to deal with the extra demand.
As well as its own plans unveiled this week, many will know that Labour has already pledged to stick to the current Government’s plans for a staged expansion of free childcare.
This started with working parents of all two-year-olds in England being able to claim 15-hours a week since April, and is set to be extended to working parents of all children older than nine months from this September.
A full rollout of 30-hours a week free childcare will then go to all eligible families a year later.
Featured Image – RawPixel
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Local LGBTQIA+ football team Manchester Laces are set to play in the FA Cup for the first time ever
Danny Jones
Inclusive football team Manchester Laces are set to break even more new ground are they prepare to compete in the Adobe Women’s FA Cup for the first time ever.
What a truly incredible few years it’s been for the club.
Set to play their maiden match in the female division of the sport’s oldest competition this weekend, Manchester Laces’ Yellows squad will be taking on rival Greater Manchester Women’s Football League (GMWFL) side, Northwich Victoria, in another historic milestone for the local outfit.
Announced last month, the game is now fast approaching, and they’re hoping that plenty of Manc natives will turn up in support.
For anyone unfamiliar with the story, Manchester Laces has grown to become the leading women’s, non-binary and LGBTQIA+ positive sporting bodies in the region.
In fact, as part of a wider family – which includes clubs in Hackney, South London and Limehouse Laces, not to mention players over in Canada too – they’re comfortably one of the biggest in the entire country.
Sticking with MCR Laces alone, founded by Helen Hardy, they have grown so much in reputation and size that they have six different teams besides just the Yellows: the other Manchester squads include the Blues, Greens, Oranges, Purples, as well as the budding new Reds and Blacks.
It’s this kind of impressive expansion and, crucially, representation that has seen them win two Football v Homophobia Awards and Grassroots Initiative of the Year back in 2023.
Side-note: they also happen to have one of our favourite fooy kits of the entire year so far…
Boasting a new regular stadium at Timpson Road and set to take part not only in the North West Women’s Regional Football League (NWWFL)/GMWFL, but now FA Cup and county cup games, 2025 could be their most momentous year yet.
Providing access to countless women and people from within the queer and non-binary community who love the beautiful game and may have otherwise struggled to find an outlet, their work has been crucial in and around Greater Manchester.
With that in mind, taking part in an inaugural run within the prestigious knockout tournament feels like yet another watershed moment for the organisation.
Speaking ahead of the fixture, the club wrote on social media: “In 2021, we started our journey in Div 2 of the GMWFL with the aim of creating an inclusive and welcoming space for all. After winning consecutive league titles and earning back-to-back promotions, we are now a Tier 6 team.
“Yellows are delighted to be stepping into the magic of the FA Cup for the very first time, and we would love to see you there!
Taking place at both Wythenshawe Town FC’s and the Yellows’ own new home ground of Ericstan Park on Sunday, 7 September (2pm KO), we wish them the best of luck.
18-21 year olds can now travel on Greater Manchester’s buses for half price
Emily Sergeant
18-21 year olds can now apply to travel on Greater Manchester’s bus network for half price, it has been announced.
The Bee Network says it is ‘continuing to lead the way’ when it comes to cutting the cost of public transport, with applications for half price unlimited bus travel for 18-21 year olds now open and around 150,000 young people in Greater Manchester set to benefit.
The new pass will ‘better connect’ young people to work, training, or education opportunities.
With the Greater Manchester economy found to be experiencing faster growth compared to the UK as a whole, and with making travel ‘easier, more affordable, and inclusive’ a critical part of the Bee Network’s success, Mayor Andy Burnham announced the half-price bus travel this week, alongside a raft of other improvements across the region.
Some of the other improvements the Mayor announced include more frequent buses, cheaper travel, and new round-the-clock services.
18-21 year olds can now travel on Greater Manchester’s buses for half price / Credit: TfGM
Young people can now buy a 28-day bus travelcard for just £40, which is half the price of adult fares and the equivalent of just £1.43 per day for unlimited travel on any Bee Network bus in Greater Manchester.
Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) says the new half-price travel is aimed at helping the thousands of young people once their 16-18 ‘Our Pass’ expires, and will support them as they move into further education or the world of work.
“Young people in Greater Manchester have been calling out for an affordable transport option for when their Our Pass expires and this new pass will give them that,” commented Fran Wilkinson, who is the Director for Customer and Growth at TfGM.
The new 18-21 Bee Bus ticket is here! 🙌
Enjoy 28 day’s of unlimited travel on #BeeNetwork buses for just £40. 🚌
Buy yours now on the Bee Network app with an 18-21 Pass ID.
“We know this is such an important time in a young person’s life as they look to go into further education or enter the world of work.
“Now as they explore the many opportunities available to them they will be able to use any Bee Network bus as much as they need to at half the price.”
Fatima Bangoura, who is the Youth Engagement Officer at Youth Leads, added: “The new 18-21 pass opens doors for those who may worry about losing that support once their Our Pass ends, making travel for training, apprenticeships, education and employment far more accessible.”
Emily Sergeant -
10th June 2024 
