'No return to New Labour' call by group of newly elected Labour MPs

In case you missed it this letter published in Saturday's Guardian suggest some at least of the newly elected Labour MPs will resist a return to New Labour policies and challenge austerity. It is interesting that they are mainly from the north of England with just one London Labour MP signing the letter:

Having arrived in Westminster as newly elected Labour MPs, and after speaking to tens of thousands of voters during our election campaigns, we know how important it is for the future of our party to move forward with an agenda that best serves the everyday needs of people, families and communities, and that is prepared to challenge the notion of austerity and invest in public services.

Labour must now reach out to the 5 million voters lost since 1997, and those who moved away from Labour in Scotland, renewing their hope that politics does matter and Labour is on their side.

We need a new leader who looks forward and will challenge an agenda of cuts, take on big business and will set out an alternative to austerity – not one which will draw back to the New Labour creed of the past. Labour needs a leader who is in tune with the collective aspiration of ordinary people and communities across Britain, meeting the need for secure employment paying decent wages, homes that people can call their own, strong public services back in public hands, and the guarantee of a real apprenticeship or university course with a job at the end of it. From restoring Sure Start to providing dignity and a good standard of living in retirement, these are the aspirations key to real Labour values today and will re-engage people across our country in the years to come.

We look forward to engaging in the debate in the weeks ahead to secure our party as being best able to meet the challenges faced by ordinary people at this time.

Richard Burgon MP (Leeds East), Louise Haigh MP (Sheffield Heeley), Harry Harpham MP (Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough), Imran Hussain MP (Bradford East), Clive Lewis MP (Norwich South), Rebecca Long Bailey MP (Salford and Eccles), Rachael Maskell MP (York Central), Kate Osamor MP (Edmonton), Cat Smith MP (Lancaster and Fleetwood), Jo Stevens MP (Cardiff Central)

Starbucks versus Sure Start and women's services- the protest

Three Children Centres Axed, others have budgets reduced

How many will be damaged irreparably by these cold calculations?

The budget going to the Brent Executive on Tuesday includes proposals to save a total of £2,250,000 from early years provision and children centres. An additional £1,300,000 will be cut in 2012-13

The Sudbury and Cricklewood Children Centres and the  Kingsbury Intergenerational Centre  will not start . The existing  centre teams will be restructured which not only will mean a loss of jobs but probably a reduction in the quality of staff as 'expensive' well-qualified early years specialist will no longer be recruited.. Sure Start central expenditure will be reduced as will allocations to each centre. In addition the Council is negotiating with Preston Park Primary, Wykeham Primary and Mount Stewart to persuade them to take over the running of modified children centres on their sites.

Although the document argues that the offer to vulnerable families can be maintained it is hard to see how this will be possible. It must be deeply troubling to Labour councillors to find themselves in this position.  Early intervention has been proved time and time again to be more effective than later intervention and to save money in the long run. It will not only cost more in financial times but the social cost for economically and socially disadvantaged families will be enormous.  Schools already facing funding cuts in real terms will in the future have to make additional provision for pupils who made insufficient progress in early years.

We will be failing a generation.