News / Politics
Shadow minister visits nursery with pledge to fix ‘childcare deserts’
The shadow minister for children & early years has become the latest leading Labour politician to visit the Bristol area during the general election campaign.
Helen Hayes was in Bradley Stoke to reveal Labour’s plans to alleviate “childcare deserts” and provide “high quality nursery places” for children.
Hayes was joined by Claire Hazelgrove, Labour’s parliamentary candidate for Filton & Bradley Stoke at Busy Bees nursery on Ferndene.
Shadow minister for children and early years, Helen Hayes (left), with Claire Hazelgrove, Labour’s candidate in Filton & Bradley Stoke – photo: Milan Perera
Hayes and Hazelgrove met with the staff and pupils of the nursery school on Monday afternoon, sitting down with the children to take part in a handicraft and drawing session.
Labour have pledged 3,000 new school-based nurseries across the UK, opening up some 100,000 more nursery places.
Speaking to Bristol24/7, Hayes said: “We have a situation at the moment where in lots of parts of the country, childcare is really hard to find.
“It is forcing parents often to have to cut back on their hours or in some cases are not able to work at all.
“So childcare is important for parents and it’s important for children. A high-quality early education makes a massive difference.”
Hayes hopes this policy “will be a really big intervention. and it will mean that wherever you are in the country, if you have a young child, you can get them into a really high quality nursery place that will benefit families and will also benefit the children hugely as well”.
Hayes and Hazelgrove visited Busy Bees nursery school in Bradley Stoke – photo: Milan Perera
In the general election on July 4, Hazelgrove is running against incumbent Tory MP Jack Lopresti, who currently holds a majority of 5,646.
Main photo: Labour Party
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